


Ink and Its Carrier

by Mysticmataki



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-07-23 15:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 67,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16161287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysticmataki/pseuds/Mysticmataki
Summary: AU where V is a tattoo artist and moves in next to MC’s quiet art supplies store. Who knows what this would bring for the two of them.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of v-dcc’s (tumblr) art.

“Another one bites the dust...” Jaehee muttered as she glanced at the “Closed” sign in the window of the store a few doors down from her cafe. It was a running joke to everyone who had a shop on that block, every store that opened in that location had shuttered within a few months without fail. There was the kitchen supply store; cute, but horribly mismanaged, a pet store that only catered to rare birds that wouldn’t stop squawking all night, and various other concepts that seemed great on paper but fell flat in execution. The last one surprised them though, nearly everyone was sure that the boutique was going to be somewhat successful but here it was, 4 months later, and they had closed shop over the weekend, moving out without even saying “goodbye” to their neighbors. 

“Mmm hmmm...” a soft voice hummed in agreement as Jaehee handed one of her signature macchiatos to them. 

“Were you even listening, _______?” Jaehee sighed as she looked at her best friend on the block, the owner of the art supplies store right next to the shuttered storefront.

Looking up from the sign _______ smiled and nodded as she took a sip of her favorite of Jaehee’s concoctions before speaking out. “I’m a little annoyed that they didn’t even say goodbye! I even gave their son a few drawing lessons as a “welcome to the neighborhood” gift!” She said with an exaggerated pout before shrugging and turning her back to the store, leaning up against it as she observed everyone else setting up for the day. Signs were being pulled out, racks of merchandise rolled out the door to be put on display, and the general street was buzzing as everyone sleepily started their day. Well, everyone but Jaehee, who opened up at 6 AM every day and was now just settling down from the morning rush. 

The two chatted amiably about their weekends before a taxi pulled up right in front of them and the son of their landlord exited, key already in hand as he made his way to the front door. 

“Good morning Mr. Han,”  
“Morning, Jumin,” 

Jaehee and ________ spoke at the same time and the usually stoic man gave them a faint smile before turning his attention back to the door. “Another one gone too soon, hmm?” _________ asked, prying a little to see what happened this time around as Jaehee elbowed her side, eyes widening slightly as if to say “don’t gossip”. 

Jumin caught this exchange and sighed, turning to them with his arms crossed, “I’m sure your both curious, especially you, _________, as to what is going on with the choice of stores for this property recently.” Upon seeing the two of them nod, he continued, “While my father is a smart man and has been able to amass a ton of property over the years, he’s not the most adept at choosing shops that will succeed. In two years there have been 8 different stores in here, the shortest one not even being able to complete the first month of their lease.” He appeared to grow a tad more agitated as the three recalled the “bakery” called “Sugar Round” that opened and tried to sell rebought goods, Jaehee helping shut that operation down as soon as possible. 

__________ held back a laugh which garnered another disapproving look from Jumin, but he continued on, “I have decided on the next owner of this spot already, and he will be moving in and opening next week.” 

“That’s an incredibly quick turnaround, Mr. Han,” Jaehee said, unable to hide the curiosity in her eyes.

With a small shrug Jumin explained, “He has the resources to spruce this place up to fit his vision in the time he wants. He’s also owned several stores before, this is just his return after a brief hiatus.”

“You know a lot about this guy,” _________ said before continuing, “I mean, you probably should, since he’s renting from you, but still, you have a lot of confidence in his ability to launch by then.”

“Well, I do. He is my best friend after all,” Jumin stated matter of factly before he turned back to the door. 

“Your best friend?” Jaehee asked quizzically as he sighed, becoming more frustrated with the keychain as he attempted to find the correct key and answer her question. 

“Is that odd for me to have a friend?”

_________ jumped in, quickly smoothing things over with a laugh, “I think it’s more about how you’re leasing to a friend, and that you’ve made them sound so mysterious. Several successful shops? Wealthy enough to renovate in a week? Obviously was able to throw down a deposit and then some? I can’t say that I’m not curious as to who this guy is, or really, what this shop is going to be.”

“It’s going to be his studio. He’s a tattoo artist,” Jumin answered without fanfare. 

“A tattoo artist??” Jaehee and _______ exclaimed at the same time, Jaehee incredulous while ___________’s eyes glimmered with excitement. 

“Yes, he took a break for awhile but is getting back to work and I offered him this location when the former tenants announced they would be leaving. He’s quite famous in the tattoo world, if that’s what you call it,” Jumin said as he finally found the correct key and opened up the door. 

“Pretty sure that’s what they call it,” __________ said with a smile as Jaehee stood nervously beside her. “What’s his name?”

“V,” Jumin replied before he looked back at the two women standing in front of the shop. “I do hope you will be kind to him,” he said out of nowhere before he bowed slightly and gave a quick “goodbye”. 

The moment the door shut behind him Jaehee turned to ________, eyes wide. “I’ve known Mr. Han for years, and he has never once mentioned having a friend! And to find out that his best friend is a tattoo artist? I have no idea how to process this information, _________!”

“I think it’s pretty neat,” _________ said with a shrug. “Unexpected, of course, but neat all the same. Who would have thought that Jumin would have a famous tattoo artist as a best friend? I’ll have to look up his work!”

“You seem rather excited about this,” Jaehee muttered as she looked at ___________. “Aren’t you worried about your business?”

“Hmm?” ________ asked as she took the last sip of her drink and handed the mug back to Jaehee. 

“I mean, aren’t you worried that parents are going to stop bringing kids to your shop for lessons if there’s a tattoo place nearby?” Jaehee had always been a bit more conservative, and she could only begin to imagine the type of person this man was and what he could look like. 

________ gave a short wave of her hand and scoffed, “If they’re going to be so judgmental about who works next door I don’t want them. Anyway, he’s a tattoo artist and art is what I’m teaching their children. If anything they should appreciate it!”

Stretching as she stood up and stopped leaning against the building, she turned back to Jaehee and gave a wide grin, “And hey, maybe I can get a new customer. He’ll need to draw out his designs first, after all. Tattoo studios attract artist types, so why would I complain? This could be good for me, I have a great feeling about this.”

Sighing, Jaehee just smiled at her friend and made her way back to her cafe, __________ looking at the closed store before smiling and nodding to herself. It was the first time in ages she was anticipating a new chapter. Turning back to look at the rest of the block, her smile softened as she gazed at her friends and loved ones from over the years, truly happy at the community they had been able to build. And for the first time in years, she was genuinely excited for the new chapter. 

V... she could only begin to imagine the meaning of the moniker as she chuckled and unlocked her own door, ready to set up some easels and begin the day with a new wash of color.


	2. 2

_________ had fully intended to spare a few minutes to google “V Tattoo Artist” but she had opened up the shop, an outrageous amount of customers came in for a Monday, and before she knew it the week had passed and it was Friday night. She was locking up, only then remembering that when she would return the next Monday she would have a brand new neighbor, and that she had never found the time to look him up. Jumin had every right to be confident in the man’s interior design team; they had remodeled the place in record time, even though they had created a bit of a traffic jam outside her store for the first few days when construction was happening.

She locked the door and started to walk away before her eyes caught the poster hanging in her window advertising the next month’s worth of classes she’d teach. School was winding down which meant __________ was offering more lessons, and this year was her most ambitious yet. Up to 4 a day, some special weekend lessons for people who worked during the week, a special children’s class- it was daring but she wanted to push herself, to show the world what she was capable of. She loved bringing people together, especially with something so wonderful as art, as putting yourself into whatever you created, and she wanted to encourage the world to share how they felt, to connect with each other.

Opening just two and a half years ago, she had quickly become a staple in the neighborhood- and not just for her constantly stocked shelves and high quality goods. ________ knew her stuff and could answer any question thrown at her by the most novice to expert of customers. Beyond that though she was the first one to really connect the block and bring them together. When she had first moved in she made a point of getting to know everyone who rented from Mr. Han, and who all had to deal with their property manager, Jumin. People started getting together after closing down, they were offering to watch the other’s kids during certain shifts, and ________’s classes were an immediate cornerstone of the community. Heck, she had even been able to get the withdrawn Jaehee Kang to come out of her shell. 

Shaking herself out of her thoughts she nodded at the poster before turning on her heel and walking past the soon-to-be studio, taking a final look before it was open the next time she saw it. She hurried along though, more interested in getting home and figuring out who her next neighbor was than speculating about the inside of the shop anymore. 

After dinner and a shower __________ sat on her couch with a glass of wine and opened her laptop, quickly navigating to Google. Typing in, “V Tattoo Artist,” she hit “enter” a little harder usual and took a sip of her drink, eagerly anticipating her first glimpse of him. When the page had finished loading she wasn’t greeted by an image of his face though, instead being shown a preview of some of his most famous tattoos. 

They were stunning. Unlike any she had seen before, his tattoos were so colorful and delicate- painstakingly similar to their real life counterpart. As she went to page after page of profiles on him, she became more drawn in by the man’s style. He was brave enough to focus on watercolor style tattoos, each looking to have taken hours and immense care to be as vivid as they were. You could tell that he his work was personal too- it really felt like he had put his soul into some of his original works, and the care in general of each one was intense. People loved to claim that tattoo artistry wasn’t real artistry, but _________ knew art when she saw it and was consumed with each piece. 

She quickly moved onto looking for a picture of the man, wanting to know who to look out for but was surprised at just how difficult it was. Jumin was right when he said he was famous in the tattoo world, but now she knew why she had never heard his name- this man really didn’t like being in the spotlight. There were profiles of him on all the major tattoo sites, and one even with a fashion magazine in conjunction with a celeb fan of his, but she couldn’t find a single photo. Finally, she was able to find an article from a year and a half ago that described how his shop closed literally out of nowhere and what a shock it was to the community.

A quick glimpse at the comments was more than enough for __________. She thought the speculation was gross, and wished that people wouldn’t gossip about the reasons someone took some time off. She herself felt like disappearing sometimes and with the pressure this man felt how could he not want some time to himself? Exiting out of the page she went back to the profile from the fashion magazine, one from about 4 years back and read through, trying to learn something about this even more mysterious than expected man. He still remained evasive in that though, but she did learn he was a fan of an actor she knew a certain someone was obsessed with. No photos though, although there were mentions of his mint hair in nearly every profile on him, giving her at least something to work with. 

Finishing her second glass of wine, she immediately pulled out her phone and texted Jaehee, eager to share her findings. 

**“JAEHEE”**  
**“His tattoos are gorgeous!!!”**  
**__________ sent 7 photos**

**_“Whose tattoos?”_** Jaehee responded near immediately, never one to leave someone on read for too long.

**“V, the tattoo artist moving in Monday, Jumin’s BFF”**

**_“I’m not one to like tattoos, but I can’t lie...”_ ** _  
**_“These are very unique and beautiful”_ ** _

__**“They’re gorgeous! You can truly see his emotions in the first three I sent you!”**  
**“AND GUESS WHAT”**  
**“HE’S A FAN OF MUSICALS”**

_Jaehee immediately read the article that _________ sent to prove her statement and was a little taken aback, still reeling from the onslaught of information _________ was sending. It was fun to see her become so excited for something, especially since she had been so stressed in the weeks leading up as she prepped for the summer lessons. Jaehee couldn’t help but admire her friend’s drive, so seeing her find a little joy in this new neighbor eased her worries about the type of man he was going to be. She would trust ________’s judgement and Jumin’s loyalty to be indicators this man wasn’t the rough figure she had created in her mind._

_**_“Hahaha looks like you were right, these were not what I had in mind when I thought “tattoo artist””_ ** _

_**“I didn’t expect Jumin to have a friend into well...”**  
**“You know, like Ed Hardy tattoos tbh”** _

_Jaehee sent an emoji sticker designed to look like her with a question mark over her head and ________ sighed, quickly responding._

_**“Just trust me when I say they don’t go together”** _

_**_“Well, the article didn’t say much and Mr. Han didn’t give many more details so I guess this is what we know”_ **  
**_“I’m kind of curious as to why he went out of business for some time”_ ** _

_**“People take breaks, nothing new”** _

_**_“Are you going to do anything to welcome him?”_ ** _

__**“I’ll think about it tonight and work on it this weekend”**  
**“Jaehee, I’m really excited about this”**  
**“Something about his work just spoke to me, I’m so captivated by his style”**

Jaehee smiled softly at the text, knowing that _________ was expressing her genuine self without fear, what she admired most about her. She wasn’t one to hide, and Jaehee could already tell that ________ felt drawn to this V for some reason, one that she couldn’t explain. 

Oh Artists, those types confused her. 

_**_“Well I’ll stop by around 10 and we can see if he’s made an appearance yet”_ **  
**_“Is there a photo of him so I I know who to look for?”_ ** _

________ sent an emoji sticker of her crossing her arms in an x and followed up with,  
**“No photos at all, but he has mint hair and eyes”**

Texting each other “good night”, _________ dropped her phone on her couch and went back to looking at the various galleries of the tattoos he had created, of the styles he perfected. She found herself finding patterns and “periods” in his work, studying it as if he was a famous painter of the past.  
“Maybe flowers would be good,” she muttered as she stared at several floral tattoos he had inked over the years, realizing they were a recurring motif. Taking note of that, she poured herself another glass of wine and lost herself for a few more hours in his work and her ideas before she passed out. Monday was going to come a lot sooner than usual, and this time she couldn’t wait for it. 


	3. 3

“It’s 10 and the studio is still closed!” Jaehee declared as she walked into ________’s store, two cups of coffee in hand as she made her way to the corner where ________ was sorting through various palettes. 

Holding her hand out, ________ accepted the mug and took a sip as she shrugged, “Not everyone opens up at 6 like you, Jaehee.” 

Jaehee took a sip of her own drink before sighing, “Yes, well, it’s 10.” 

_______ giggled at that and Jaehee shot her a look which made her laugh even more, “I don’t know if I expect him to have regular hours, you know? I peeked in his window when I got in this morning and it didn’t look any different from when I left on Friday.” She continued to open up each palette and check to ensure the watercolors weren’t broken or cracked as the two drank their coffee. Jaehee scanned the shop, eyes settling on a bouquet of daffodils on the counter next to the cash register, already in a vase (one of the various ones she knew ________ stocked) and arranged delicately, the flowers the true stand out amidst the other greenery in it. 

“Did you make that?” She asked, genuine curiosity on her face as she walked over and leaned in to smell them. 

“Yeah, you don’t think it’s too familiar?” ______ said as she looked at the bouquet again, feeling a little self-conscious about her choice now that someone else had seen it. Throughout the weekend “flowers” were the one thing that stayed in her head, and that morning she had made her way to the little flower shop down the street where the Choi twins worked- or at least, Saeran worked while Saeyoung tinkered with computers in the back- and had picked out the flowers herself before coming in to her store and working on arranging them in one of the vases she had in stock.

Jaehee shook her head, “No, not at all. I think flowers are a general welcoming gift anyways. If he has allergies he’ll let you know.”

_______ laughed, “I can always trust you, Jaehee, to think of the scenarios I never would have guessed.” Walking over to her friend and leaning on the counter, coffee in hand, she sighed, “God I hope he doesn’t have allergies and tattoos flowers cause he can enjoy them without seeing them.”

It was now Jaehee’s turn to laugh, “Now you’re the one overthinking things. This is beautiful, I almost want to pay you to create some arrangements for the café.”

“Hah maybe I could lead a class, even Saeran gave them his stamp of approval,” ______ said with a smile as she pulled up the text to show Jaehee.

Drinking their coffee side by side, Jaehee abruptly asked, “What made you choose daffodils?”

“New beginnings,” ________ answered quickly before continuing, “They are supposed to symbolize new beginnings since they usually bloom in Spring, you know, rebirth and all that. I just thought you know, since the studio is opening it would work. It’s not too heavy handed, yah?”

“No,” Jaehee said emphatically, smiling at the bouquet once more before turning back to her friend, “I think they’re beautiful, and anyone would be happy to have such a thoughtful gift. Much better than my “a round on me” offering.”

_____ laughed at that, “A free drink from Jaehee is a blessing, especially when it’s as good as it is.”

They finished their drinks and Jaehee stretched, looking at her watch. “I should go back,” she said, realizing the time before she made her way to the front door and paused, turning back to _________. “You going to check later?”

_______ nodded, and Jaehee told her to text her when he came in and ________ nodded again, waving goodbye as Jaehee left and made her way back to her café. Turning back to the bouquet she dropped her head to the counter and let out a sigh. Why was she so nervous about this newcomer compared to the others? 

She could guess a few reasons why, but she didn’t have time to speculate- she had palettes to check. 

After finishing that up and helping a few customers that had come through she saw a young blonde man walk by her window and quickly glimpse in before slowing down as he looked at a key in his hand. _________ perked up and walked to the area near the window, pretending to straighten a stack of sketchpads as she peered out the window to see where he was heading. 

He had stopped in front of the shop and was looking at it in interest before checking his phone again and nodded. “That’s weird, he had to use a map to check that this was the spot... is this a customer?” she thought as she walked to the display in front of the window, hoping that she convincingly looked like she was arranging that as she got a better look. He dropped his phone into his pocket and started rummaging around his bag before he pulled a key ring out and turned to the doorknob, having a little difficulty with the key before opening the door and walking inside. Her eyes widened when the door closed behind him and a whirlwind of thoughts (Was that ‘V’? He couldn’t be that young, right? He died his hair blonde?) ran through her mind as she went to go and text Jaehee. 

After sending a quick text letting her know that someone was there, she walked over to the daffodils and made sure the flowers were arranged perfectly, now nervous at the prospect of meeting her new neighbor. 

She respected his art, in fact she loved it. There was something inspiring about his work, and about the time and energy he put into his craft. She could relate, in a sense. This store had always been her dream, and to achieve it and her success at her age took a lot of work, and knowing as little as she did she just knew that he had to have put a lot of himself in his work. 

Being that passionate about something in this day and age was rare and while they were at totally different scales (her only publicity being articles written in the city newspaper, and once the county one compared to his international fame) she just knew that they would be able to connect in some way. An artist was moving next door, and she was excited to finally meet someone who was as passionate about it as her. 

Finally satisfied with the arrangement she took a deep breath, checked her clothes, and picked the vase up, determined to be the first one to greet them to the neighborhood. She placed a “be right back!” sign in the window and hurried over. Hand resting on the doorknob of the studio, she hesitated for a moment before she nodded once and opened the door, smiling wide as she came in. 

The blonde man from before was facing away from her at the front desk, and he started speaking as he turned around. “You’re earlier than I thought you’d be-” he was saying, but the moment he made eye contact with _________ he froze momentarily before getting flustered. 

“I’m sorry, you’re probably expecting someone else!” she said, steeling her nerves, even though she was now more nervous due to his reaction. She slowly approached and went to hand the flowers to him as she continued, “I’m ________ ________, I own the art supply store next door! I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood, and let you know that if you ever need help you’re free to reach out to me! You probably have Jumin on speed dial though, but the offer still stands”

The blonde stuttered over his words, “You know Jumin?”

________ found the question a little odd, but she shook it off and nodded, “Well yah, he owns my building too. The Hans actually own every building on this block.” She started to wonder if this man was really V, he looked rather young and he didn’t seem to know much about Jumin. 

Sticking her hand out, she smiled again and he fumbled as he leaned over the desk and took his hand in hers. “Oh, I’m Yoosung Kim,” he said with a slight blush on his face as he let go. 

Yoosung. This wasn’t V, whose real name she had read was Jihyun Kim, and it all made sense. “Ah! You must work here too! Jumin only mentioned V, I didn’t know he had a team,” she said with another smile, but one a little more genuine, a lot less nervous. 

“Yah, you could call me his apprentice. Finally decided to get serious about it after knowing him for a few years,” he said with a nod. He seemed brighter now that they were finally talking, and gestured to the flowers, “Those are nice.”

“Oh, it’s a welcoming-“ she started, but she heard the doorknob click behind her and Yoosung nodded over her shoulder. 

“Who is this that we have here? I thought we didn’t have any appointments til 2,” a soft voice rang out from behind her, and she quickly whipped around, knowing immediately who it belonged to. She just knew it was him. 

The first thing she noticed was his mint hair and eyes, true to what the articles described, but a lot longer, now grazing his shoulders. He was dressed in an all gray outfit, noticeably wearing a dog tag necklace, a black pendulum earring from his right ear, and a pair of round glasses. At first he almost looked a little taken aback but his gaze softened and he glanced at her, appraising her just as she had him a moment before. His eyes grazed over her, but she immediately noticed a change in his attitude when he looked at the daffodils still in hand. His shoulders had dropped, his brow had furrowed, and his eyes had darkened but he recovered immediately, and a deceptively happy smile appeared on his face. 

“And who are these flowers for?” he asked as he walked the few steps to be beside her. He looked down at the flowers again before looking up at her softly, expectantly waiting for an answer


	4. Chapter 4

Time seemed to move slowly as he stared at her. It was a little unsettling, seeing someone who she had spent far too much time Googling walking towards her with such a look on his face. ________ liked to think that she was perceptive, that she was good at reading a situation and other’s emotions, but for those few seconds she was completely at a loss. She immediately was able to snap out of her stupor though and extended a hand to him, “_______ ______, I run the store next door, as I was just telling Yoosung.”

“Ah, well thank you for coming over to introduce yourself. I’m V,” he said, taking her hand and giving it a firm shake.

Shifting the vase from her arm to her hands, she held them out to him and continued, “They were for you, to welcome you to the neighborhood!” She didn’t know what to expect as he stared at them surprised for a moment before he fell back into that smile again, the one that she suspected meant he was hiding something, or keeping his cards close to his chest.

“They’re beautiful,” he mused as he touched one of the flowers lightly and looked over her shoulder to Yoosung, “You can leave them out here on the desk, that way anyone who enters is immediately blessed with their beauty.”

Turning around, she gently put them on the desk and Yoosung immediately smiled and started to arrange the desk so the flowers stood out. Turning back around, she continued to speak, “I just wanted to come over and welcome you, and let you know that if you need anything please feel free to reach out! I’m pretty much always at the shop, so you can run over and ask at any time.”

V continued to smile just as gently, and it surprised her, just how calm she felt as she spoke to him. “That’s very generous of you, thank you,” he said genuinely and she smiled at that, trying to push any suspicious thoughts she had to the back of her mind.

“You’re welcome! I’ve been here a couple of years as have most of the shops on the street, and we all look out for one another,” she said as she looked out the window to the other shops across the way. “As a warning, I did text the owner of the café on the opposite end of the block that I saw someone enter the store. She’s probably going to come over later to introduce herself- this is a busy time for her, you know, the lunch crowd.”

V only nodded and hummed in response to that and ________ started to make her way to the door. “I have to get back to my shop, but just holler if you need me. Oh! And we have weekly happy hours on Thursdays around 6 at “The Messenger”, a bar across the street. This is your official invite,” she said with a bright smile, and she was a little surprised when V glided past her and opened the door, smiling almost sadly at her. 

“I can’t wait!” Yoosung eagerly yelled out and V quickly looked towards him in surprise. 

Laughing lightly, he held the door open with his body, and outstretched his hand. “It’s nice meeting you, ______. Thanks for the warm welcome,” he said, and she saw his most genuine smile in the short interaction. 

It was stunning. 

“Nice meeting you too,” she said with a smile as she reached out and grabbed his hand. He quickly place his other atop it, and shook it firmly, leaving her a little surprised, but the feeling wasn’t exactly unwelcome. It felt truly thankful, and she knew he meant what he had said a moment ago. It was alarmingly comforting.

With an eager wave by Yoosung and short one by V, the door closed and ________ immediately went back to her shop. She took down the sign in her window all while whipping her phone out of her pocket and clicking through her home screen rapidly so she would get to her text messages. She had to text Jaehee a play by play.

**“Jaehee omg!”**

**_“What? Did you meet them?”_ **

**“I don’t think flowers were a good idea.”**

Jaehee sent a sticker of herself sighing  
 ** _“You always do this, did they accept them?”_**

**“Yah, but he seemed weird about it.”**

****_“You always read too much into your first interaction with new people.”  
“I wouldn’t worry.”  
“I’ll go introduce myself when the crowd dies down.”_

**“Kay.”  
“I invited them to the neighborhood happy hour.”**

**_“That’s good, that’s the best way to meet everyone.”  
“And ‘them’?”_ **

**“Two people work there, you’ll see.”**

**_“Ok, just don’t worry.”_  
“I’m sure they were happy to meet you.”  
**  
With a sigh _______ slipped her phone into the pocket of her smock and went to the second floor and started preparing for her after school class that day. She would hear the jingling of the bell above the door if anyone came, and she needed to preoccupy herself so she wouldn’t go on a downward spiral of revisiting everything she had said. 

He had been captivating from the start. The way his hair glistened in the light, how it was disheveled but distinguished at the same size, his eyes staring at her in surprise under his frames. His posture, as if he was setting up a barrier between them immediately, the way he stared at the flowers she had offered, something was going on there, but she couldn’t tell what. 

“Jaehee’s right, I read way too much into normal interactions. I am just a stranger to him too,” she sighed aloud before she heard the soft sound of the bell above the door. “Well, time to move on,” she said to herself before yelling a quick “Coming!” down the stairs. Rushing down the stairs, she smiled at the first child waiting down there for her 11:30 Beginning Drawing class, the daughter of the owner of the restaurant across the street and down the block. Seeing the way that she beamed when _________ asked her to come on up and help set up for the rest of the kids who would be joining them made her heart swell. _________ couldn’t help but smile back just as widely when the girl grabbed her hand and started to climb the stairs. 

This is why she held her lessons, to give them something to look forward to, to inspire them to do things they might not, to make friends with similar interests. One parent had said that their child was now looking forward to Mondays, and she had laughed, knowing that she felt the same. As the girl helped her lay out sheets of paper at each table with an unmatched enthusiasm, she felt proud. 

That lesson had flown by and the rest of the day went by the same as any other, customers trickling in through the day for supplies or to ask questions. As the final person in her shop walked out, she looked at the clock on the counter and tapped it as if she was willing time to move faster. Her shop closed in 15 minutes and she was starting to get hungry, and even entertained the thought of trying to get a free sandwich or something from her student’s dad before the ring of the bell once again pulled her from her thoughts. 

Responding before she looked at the door, she immediately perked up with a quick, “Welcome!” She said it as warmly as she did with all her customers, but when she finally looked over her jaw slightly dropped in her hand when she saw V standing in her shop and fondly smiling as he looked at the space. 

Standing up straight, she gave a small wave and walked out from behind the counter, making her way over to him. He was standing next to a display of different art history books, some basic guides on styles and design, and children’s books about artists, a newer idea of hers to have a non-threatening way to get into art. Picking up a paint brush was intimidating, she knew that from first hand experience, and she had always found inspiration in going to museums and seeing other’s art there. Maybe she could get someone to feel the same way, and find a new joy in life. 

“How are you doing, V?” she said as she stood at the side of the table to his right. 

He looked up from the book on Bernini he had been staring at before he turned to her. “I’m doing quite well, thank you for asking _________.”

“That’s good to hear! Now, how can I help you?” She asked. 

He quickly asked, “I was wondering if you sold acrylic or India ink?”

________ nodded in response to this, “Yup, I have a decent selection to choose from, you can find them over here.” She started walking a little ahead of him but still at a leisurely pace until she got to a shelf that had various different inks, brushes, and pens. “This is the main selection. I have both India and acrylic inks,” she said as she widely gestured to the space she had brought him to. 

“Ah, perfect. I ran out of it and need to stock back up,” he said with a small smile.   
________’s eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if he was referring to ink for tattoos and he caught that, laughing gently, “No, I’m not going to use this on people.” 

He had a bit of an amused smiled when she blushed lightly but laughed back. “I can’t lie, the thought did cross my mind,” she said as she crossed her arms and started to step back, “if you have a specific color you’re looking for just let me know, I can check in the back if you know the name of the shade or can describe what you’re going for.”

“Could you recommend a brand? I’m not familiar with the ones here,” he said almost immediately and she stepped back to him, immediately going into customer service mode. 

“Well, Inking isn’t my primary medium, but I prefer this brand for general strokes with a pen and then I prefer this one for when I want to use them for more of a water color effect with a brush,” she spoke confidently as she pointed to two different brands adjacent to each other. 

“I’m going to need some for both. Just general black for the one you recommend for pens is what I need, but I’m also hoping to get a few greens to use with a brush. Less yellow in them though,” he replied, and she immediately picked up some black ink and handed it back to him before she leaned over and started to scan through the other inks for greens. 

She saw him reach for another vial of black as she picked up a few and held them to the light to ensure she had the right shades in hand. She stood up and held them out to him, stating, “These are the shades of green we have, they range from a neutral ‘true’ green to a dark one, think forest green with a hint of dark blue to give it depth.”

When she looked up she was surprised at the wide smile that graced his features. “Yoosung had said you ran an art supply store, but I honestly didn’t expect it to be so... inclusive of different forms of art,” he admitted as he picked up a vial in her hand and held them out to the light himself, his eyes squinting as he inspected them. 

“Oh, thanks!” She said with another small blush, and a genuinely happy smile. “That’s how I always envisioned it to be, so it means a lot to have someone recognize that.”

He smiled at her as he dropped the ink back into her hands, “You should be proud, it takes a lot of work to own your own shop and it looks like this place is thriving.” The two stood there smiling before he pointed down to the inks, “Those two are perfect for what I’m working on. I’ll take them.”

“Great! I hope you like them,” she said as she walked to the register, quickly ringing up the products and placing them in a paper bag with some foam in between them so the glass wouldn’t clink against each other. He was pulling out his wallet but she dropped the bag in front of him, shaking her head. “This one’s on the house!” She said with a smile, but he shook his had back as he pulled out some cash. 

“You already gave me flowers, I couldn’t accept another gift from you,” he said as he checked the number on the register and pulled out some bills, sliding them across the counter. 

Giving him a look that said, “Ok I guess,” she quickly pulled out his change and handed him that along with the receipt. “Anything else I can help with tonight?”

“You’ve already been more than helpful, I couldn’t take any more of your time. I saw on your sign that you closed soon and wanted to make sure I was out of your way by then,” he said, picking up the bag and slowly turning to leave. 

“Ah I like it better when someone comes in at the end of the day to be honest, it makes the time pass by a lot quicker. It’s even better when it’s with someone who knows what they’re talking about,” she said with a chuckle before she walked out and towards the door. The two walked side by side in silence, and when V got to the door he turned and smiled. 

As she looked at him she was reminded of his art, about how delicate and thoughtful it was. He was definitely an artist who put himself into every piece. Holding the door open as he had done for her just that morning she said with a small smile, “Have a good evening V, and congrats on the opening again.”

“Thank you, ________. You were incredibly considerate by coming and welcoming us this morning,” he said as he walked out the door, now on the sidewalk where she was but a few steps apart. 

“I’m glad I was the first to welcome you,” she said with a quiet laugh before she gave him a small wave. “Have a good evening, V.”

“I hope you have a wonderful night, _______,” V said as he turned on his heel and walked away. 

Feeling the heat rising in her cheeks, she slowly closed the door and locked up for the day. She glanced into the studio when she passed it, almost as if she was hoping to take another glimpse at this new neighbor of hers, but kept walking and din’t look back. 

It was a nice evening, the temperature mild and the sun still in the middle of setting and with a deep breath she smiled as she kept pushing along. It was going to be a good Summer, she was sure of it.


	5. Chapter 5

She hadn’t seen V since that day, but for the past three days Yoosung would always walk by, look in, and give an enthusiastic wave if him and _______ made eye contact. She found it a little endearing, that he would be so eager after such an insignificant amount of time talking, but she hoped that meant he was thinking about going to meet the rest of the crew. 

Every Thursday, the owners of the shops that closed around 6 would gather at “The Messenger” for a weekly happy hour and catch up session. ________ would always show up, and most weeks the Choi twins and Jaehee would head over to the bar. Some nights were calm, others were uproarious but there was rarely a bad time between the friends. After her last class that day, a painting class for adults after work, she was dying to head over and get a drink of any kind. Adults always asked a lot more intense and detailed questions than kids, and while she liked to teach them, she wouldn’t lie if asked if she had a preference between age groups. 

Locking up her door, she looked both ways before she walked across the street to the bar that was directly across and one storefront up. “The Messenger” had been in the neighborhood longer than any other and for good reason. The drinks were great, the food was good, and they had a nice homey environment, the type where everyone remembered your name. Relaxing almost the minute she put her hand on the handle and opened the door, she gave everyone a warm smile and wove eagerly to her friends when she saw them at their usual place at the bar, along with a new mop of blonde hair. 

“Yoosung!” she exclaimed excitedly as she went over to give him a hug, “I’m so glad you came!”

Yoosung looked over with a smile and returned the hug, nodding, “I wasn’t going to miss this at all! I was so excited when I was invited, much better than my usual nights.”

“Yah! Yoosung was just telling us how he goes home and games every night, and that’s why the studio job is great since they open so late,” an eager voice chimed in, and ________ looked down to the end of the bar to see Saeyoung eagerly waving towards her, an ever-wide grin on his face and Saeran sat next to him with his usual passive gaze. The twins would have been indistinguishable from the other if not for Saeran’s blue-green eyes and lack of smile, but they shared the same mop of fluffy red hair. 

What had surprised her though and made her do a double take was to see that Jumin was also seated at the bar next to Yoosung, who simply nodded at _______ casually greeting her with a ‘hello’. Jumin rarely ever came to these, and it was mainly because him and the bartender didn’t get along too well. Zen had been the bartender at “The Messenger” for nearly 5 years, ever since he ended up in their town with dreams of becoming a famous musical actor. The job allowed him to attend auditions through the day, but it also paid the bills- something that was necessary for someone who didn’t always have solid work. 

Him and Jumin seemed to argue over everything though, all of it starting apparently 3 years back when Zen had arrived on his motorcycle and Jumin commented on the ‘crassness’ of it and that stated it was too loud for the small neighborhood. From there on it was “heir vs. run-a-way” and it seemed they rarely saw eye to eye with each other. Whenever they were in the same room it was an accepted fact that you would have to deal with at least three sessions of them ‘arguing’. 

________ moved onto the stool next to Yoosung and smiled across to Zen, who flashed her a winning smile and wink, letting her know he’d come over after he was done serving his current customer. Jaehee slid up to her right at that time and leaned back on her stool giving Yoosung a smile while also giving ________ a hug. Zen slid over and pointed at the two women, bright smile on his face and a kiss on the cheek waiting for both of them before he asked his ‘favorite ladies’ for their order. As he slid back to grab their drinks, ________ smiled and looked down the line at the bar again. They took up nearly the entire bar, only one stool was empty next to Jaehee and it was when Zen placed their drinks in front them that she realized that V hadn’t joined them. 

“Don’t overthink this,” she thought as she hung her bag on the hook below the bar. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Zen came back over and dropped her beer in front of her. 

“Now that our beautiful ladies are here the evening can finally begin!” Zen said as he raised a can of beer and everyone followed, Yoosung a second behind.

“To our new neighbor, Yoosung!” ________ said happily as they clinked glasses together in cheers. They all drank a healthy amount before they set their glasses down and started talking.

Yoosung and Jumin were catching up, Saeyoung was harassing Zen for more PhD. Pepper while Saeran stared amusedly at the scene, and Jaehee tapped _______ on the shoulder, raising her glass to cheers her friend. 

“To a quick day tomorrow and a weekend that feels like it’s three days instead of two,” she said with a sigh as _______ nodded conspirytedly. 

“Long week for you too huh? You never even told me if you had gone over to introduce yourself to V and co.,” _______ stated. 

Jaehee took a sip of her Irish coffee and snapped her fingers, “You’re right! I did go over, but I only met Yoosung. V was in a consultation with a customer I guess. Yoosung was the one who came over the next day and asked if they could cash in on the offer of coffee too.”

_______ hummed curiously as she continued to drink her beer. If Jaehee hadn’t met him than she knew that Saeyoung and Saeran definitely hadn’t, and the chance that Zen knew him was slim too. Yoosung and Jumin were the only ones who had any sort of relationship to him, and it felt odd and unbalanced. She had only two real conversations, one more rehearsed than the other, but to hear no one else had made her curious. 

“Alright, Saeyoung, Saeran, Zen, Jumin, Yoosung!” She shouted down the bar as she rapidly finished the last of her beer. She pointed at them and asked, “What were you all talking about, you’ve seem to have been here awhile!”

“Jagiya, you finished that beer so fast!” Zen said as he put a glass of water in front of her and frowned as he leaned across the counter and stared at her. “Your pretty face will get puffy if you don’t drink enough water tonight.”

Yoosung blushed at Zen’s blatant flirtation and _________ laughed brightly and smiled back at her friend. “Well then I’ll drink my water, you are the god of skin care after all,” she said as she downed her glass. “I do want a second beer though,” she said as she pushed the empty glass to him.

“Zen, stop flirting so I can tell ________ all about Yoosung’s main hobby!” Saeyoung, who they sometimes called Seven said with a loud laugh. 

“Ah! No!” Yoosung said as his face turned red, stammering, “It-It’s not that bad! I swear!”

“It sounded like your gaming habit has gotten significantly worse over the past few years,” Jumin said with a passive look but a hint of chiding in his voice and Yoosung quickly got defensive. 

“You all make me sound obsessed!” He shouted. 

“With what?” Jaehee asked and when Saeyoung joyfully yelled out, “LOLOL!”, she shook her head in disapproval. 

“Saeyoung, isn’t that the game you are obsessed with?” Zen asked and Saeran immediately nodded.

“I think he’s glad that he now knows someone else who plays it, at least he won’t have to talk my ear off about it every night,” Saeran said as he ran a finger along the condensation on his glass. 

“How rude!” Saeyoung said with exaggerated bravado before laughing. 

“Teasing is just one of Saeyoung’s favorite hobbies, you’ll get used to it,” Zen said to Yoosung with a small smile. 

The conversation continued on for the next half hour, and Yoosung was almost immediately welcomed to their group, Jaehee becoming motherly towards him and scolding him about his sleeping habits after her second drink. ________ slowly drank her second beer, starting to feel a bit drunk before she tapped on Yoosung’s shoulder and asked to switch seats for a moment so she was now was between him and Jumin. 

“I gotta ask, did you ask V to come tonight?” She said as she looked to Jumin. 

Dropping his glass of wine, he responded, “That was a direct question.”

“Ok, let me try again. How are you doing tonight Jumin! It’s nice to see you here, we miss when you’re not here,” she said with a genuine smile before she continued, “Sooooo, did you come cause you invited V or expected him to come?”

Jumin gave a rare smile to _________ before he answered, “I’m doing well, busy week but nothing I can’t handle. I had realized I hadn’t been to one of these gatherings in a month, so I figured it was an appropriate to join in.” Swirling his glass of wine, he said in a quieter voice, “I won’t lie, I did expect V to have joined by now if he was going to come. I sent him a text earlier.”

“I don’t think he’s coming,” Yoosung said, joining their conversation. 

“Ah really? I was hoping that everyone could meet him. Was I too forward?” she asked, now nervous that she had stepped over the line. 

“Oh no!” Yoosung said quickly as he wove his hands, “It’s just that V...” 

“V… keeps to himself,” Jumin said carefully while Yoosung nodded along. “He’s not at all unfriendly, in fact, he’s the best friend you could ever have, but he tends to keep his social circle small,” he finished with a large sip of his wine.

________ now was leaning onto the bar nearly slumped over it, contemplating what he had just said. “I understand that,” she started, “But I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like a sustainable way to live.”

Jaehee laughed at that, “Not everyone is as outgoing as you are. Remember how rarely I came in the beginning when you first started this up?”

“Oh boo, you showed up to the first one at least,” she said with a laugh as she sat back up and shrugged. “I guess I should understand, I was so nervous when I first moved here,” she said, taking a large swig of beer before placing the empty glass down on the table.

Yoosung finally spoke up, “I think he wanted to go, he was just seemed really nervous.” Jumin nodded and Saeran smiled wryly at the end of the bar, giving ________ a knowing look to which she responded by sticking her tongue out. He had been incredibly nervous the first time him and Saeyoung had been invited. While Saeyoung had shown up on time, beyond excited, _______ and him eventually had to go to the store themselves and drag the more reluctant Saeran down the street.

“Oh, don’t do that _________,” Saeran said with a laugh causing Yoosung to look around wildly, trying to keep up with the conversation.

“Don’t worry about it, Yoosung, you’ll be a part of the crowd and our inside jokes soon enough,” she said as she patted him on the back before looking to Zen again.

“Zenny!” she called out and he was immediately back over.

“I don’t know what’s going on, I’ve never seen the bar this crowded on a Thursday,” he said with a sigh before his smile came back and he looked at his good friends. “Who needs a refill!” he exclaimed with a clap of his hands and people threw in the orders, _________ suddenly silent as she stared at the menu in her hand.

Looking at her landlord, she tapped Jumin on the shoulder and held the menu out to him. “What does V drink?” she asked as she placed it in his hands.

Snapping it shut the moment it was placed in his hand, he turned to her and immediately answered, “Wine. Red, most of the time. His tastes and mine are pretty aligned, but I’m more curious as to why you are asking.”

Without responding, ________ turned to Zen who was pouring the others’ drinks and called out, “Zen! Two of what Jumin is having!”

“What? Why do you want two?” he asked, still going to pour what she requested when she just smiled without saying anything.

Sliding the glasses across the bar towards herself, she stood up from the stool, picked them up, and started to make her way towards the door. “__________, what are you doing?” Jaehee called out and _________ turned around to face them, all 6 of them staring at her now with various expressions on their faces.

“Yoosung, is the door to the studio locked?” she called out, ignoring Jaehee.

Yoosung was a bit flustered but responded, “I didn’t lock it, if it’s unlocked I assume he’s still there. Why?”

She held a finger up to her lips and started to open the door with her back. “Hey! You can’t bring alcohol outside!” Zen quickly called out before she gave them a wink.

“Be right back!” she said with a wave, as large a wave she could with a full glass of wine in her hand and before they knew it she was outside and crossing the street.

The usual 5 sighed and turned back to their drinks as Yoosung looked around confused again, “Should we stop her?”

“She’s just being her usual self,” Saeran said with a shrug, eliciting another look from Yoosung.

“Listen to us, buddy,” Saeyoung started as he walked over and took ________’s spot, wrapping his arm around Yoosung’s neck, “If _______ wants something, she goes for it. If _______ thinks that something is the right choice, she’ll take it. Nothing can stop her once she’s made up her mind, and her one objective for this evening is to get your boss to come over and hang out.”

“I don’t think that’s going to work,” Yoosung started before Jumin shrugged beside him.

“_________ has an unusual ability to get people to go along with her. She’s trustworthy, and on top of that she knows when to stop pushing. I think it’ll be good for V to meet someone like that,” he said, picking up the glass that Zen had just placed in front of him.

Jaehee, Zen, and the Choi twins nodded as he spoke about _________, but when he brought up V they all looked at each other quickly. It was hard to be sure about a man you hadn’t really met yet.  
Sighing, Zen brought a hand to his head and laughed, “She’s the only one we can’t say “No” too. The boss is gonna kill me if he finds out I let her leave with alcohol though.”

“Are you sure? Pretty sure she’s his favorite on this block,” Jaehee said with a smile and they all laughed, turning back to their drinks and conversations.  
   
Across the street, _________ stood at the door to the studio and placed one glass on the ground before placing her hand on the handle. She hesitated for a moment, but encouraged by the alcohol already in her system she opened the door, bent over to get the other glass, and made her way inside.

A few lights were on, but there was no one in the front room and the other doors visible were closed. Making her way down the dim hallway, she saw that the last door was slightly ajar and she could hear the sound of a pen scratching across paper. 

She walked over slowly to the cracked door, and when she went to push it open she couldn’t, almost immediately taken by the sight before her. 

He was furiously marking up the paper before him as he sat hunched over a drawing board. He stopped after a few movements and dropped his pen, the ink splattering around him and spreading along the sheet and his shirt. His head dropped to his hands, and he groaned loudly as he stayed there for a moment. Totally disregarding the stains that were forming on his clothes and table he remained motionless before his head snapped up and the paper was in his hands and being balled up, thrown viscously to the side. His breath was ragged, his back hunched over as if he was in pain and she pushed off the door, trying to run back as if she was never there. 

She shouldn’t have come, she was intruding, she needed to get out of there. 

It was too late though, the door had creaked and V had whipped around with narrowed eyes unable to hide his sadness and _______ stood there absolutely still, embarrassment immediately registering on her face. 

“Who’s there?” he asked, the confusion apparent in his voice as he looked at her, eyes narrowed once again as he peered over the frame of his glasses.

Her mind was racing and her thoughts near indistinguishable as she stepped into the doorway and the light of the room but when his eyes widened in surprise she became mortified all over again. 

Still slouched over, his voice softened again quietly asking, “_______?”

She was sober in an instant.


	6. Chapter 6

“I’m, I’m so sorry- I just,” she stuttered as her face and chest grew red and her hands started to shake. She wanted to sink into the ground, to spontaneously combust. She had crossed a line. Despite her raging thoughts he gave her a gentle smile and sat upright and shrugged, waving a hand as if he was beckoning her. 

“You know it’s illegal to break in to other people’s stores, right?” He said as he dropped his head into his hand and looked at her amusedly. 

“I got carried away, I just wanted to get you to come over, I didn’t think I’d be interrupting you cause I didn’t think at all and I’m so sorry,” _______ spat out. 

V smiled again, and nodded once. “I know. You didn’t come in with ill-intentions, that doesn’t fit you,” he said with a calming smile. “I’m usually the one apologizing for wrongdoings though, this is new,” he said this time with a laugh, earning a raised eyebrow from ________.

“What?” she asked, completely confused by his previous statement but he ignored her question and pointed at the glasses in her hands, leaving her no time to think about what he’d just said. 

“What did you bring over?” he asked, causing her to finally walk over to him and hold the glass out. 

“Some wine, from the bar. I hope you like it,” she said as he grabbed the stem and took the glass from her. 

Swirling it once and taking a sip, he looked back up at _________ and chuckled, “I’m guessing you asked Jumin what I drink?”

________ felt her cheeks redden again after she had finally gotten them to cool down and looked to the side, confessing, “Yes, I did.”

“I can tell, it’s very similar to the Merlots that Jumin keeps stocked,” he said as he took another sip. 

_______ nodded again and continued, “Yup. I glanced at the label as Zen poured it, it’s a French brand.”

“Even more like Jumin,” he said with a smile over the rim of the glass. 

While V sipped slowly on the wine ________ shifted her weight from one leg to the other, growing increasingly nervous as the silence grew between them. “I’m gonna go,” she said abruptly, “Um, you can just leave the glass outside my door? Or I can get it from Yoosung, I-“

With another shake of his head he interrupted her, “Don’t worry, I’m not upset or offended. You want me to feel included, I can appreciate that.”

“Still, it’s not my place to just barge in, that was incredibly rude,” she said back and she only got a laugh in response.

“Well, judging by what I assume you just saw, I think a break is necessary,” he said with a dismissive nod to the drawing crumpled on the ground to the side. Gesturing to a chair in the corner, he continued, “You are more than welcome to stay, I should probably spend some time getting to know my next door neighbor.”

“Are you sure?” she asked and when he nodded she pulled the chair over and sat across from him.

“While I don’t have the energy to go and meet a bunch of people tonight I think it’ll be nice to just chat for awhile. After visiting your shop I grew very, what’s the word, curious about the type of person you were,” he said as he turned towards her.

“Really?”

He smiled and nodded at that, “Really. I was surprised by the kindness you showed us on Monday when you had no reason to, but I had figured that was just a nicety you did, I didn’t know what you meant by. But that night you were the same person.” _________ took a sip of her own wine now as she listened, slowly relaxing as he continued to talk in his calm and even voice. “You were so genuine,” he said as he looked back up at her to find her taking a large sip of her wine. 

“Oh, well, you’re welcome, I guess,” she said, obviously still a little uncomfortable at how she ended up in this situation. “I’ve done it for everyone who’s been in that space since I moved in, I really like making people feel welcome here.” She looked around the room that used to be an employee lounge now turned private work space and smiled. Continuing, she went on, “When I first moved in this store was a tea shop run by an old woman. She had been here for around 8 years and even though she had seen many shops come and go on this street she had come over just as excited to meet me as she must have been the countless before. I knew that I wanted to keep up that spirit, especially when she retired to move closer to her grandchildren.” 

“She’d invite me to go with her to meet anyone who moved in on this block, and we eventually pulled Jaehee into our ‘welcoming committee’ of sorts. She was the one who said the two of us would probably be good friends, and she was right,” trailing off, she looked at her wine glass as she sighed a little, “I miss her, every so often. She was so kind the first 6 months I was here. Always looked out for us, so I guess I’m trying to carry on her legacy in a way.” Looking up, she immediately blushed and shook her head, “Sorry, I rambled there.”

“Not at all, she sounds like a lovely woman,” V said with a smile as he downed the rest of his glass. ________ followed suit as he leaned over and rummaged through one of the drawers pulling out another bottle of wine and holding it up. “I’d love to hear more about the neighborhood, and about this space’s history. Jumin just told me there have been more tenants than usual, so I need to know if this place is cursed,” he said with a smile as he opened another drawer and pulled out a wine opener. 

________ laughed and shook her head, “No, not cursed, I would just say poorly managed.” He pointed to her glass and held his hand out and she rose an eyebrow in response. 

“You don’t expect me to drink this on my own, do you?” He said with a smile. 

“Looks expensive, are you sure?” She countered. 

He nodded, “It was an opening gift from a retuning client, so I’m pretty sure it’s expensive, but I’m also sure I’d like to share this with you.”

She handed her glass to him with a smile and a small, “If you insist,” and he took it with a smile and poured her a large glass. Handing it back to her, he rose it towards her with that same kind look from before. 

“Cheers,” he said and she responded with the same and they both took long sips before she held the glass up to the light. 

“It’s beautiful, different from the one I brought over, that’s for sure, but the red is gorgeous,” she said. 

“My client’s have good taste,” he said with a shrug and she laughed, causing him to now raise an eyebrow. 

“Well, of course you’d think they have good taste- they come to you for tattoos after all,” she said and his laugh was small but genuine. 

“I guess you’re right, but that would have been arrogant of me to say.”

“Hmmm… you might be right there,” she pondered before she looked to some of the drawings tacked to a board above him, “But there’s a difference between arrogance and just general pride in your work.” He followed her gaze and fell silent as he took a long sip of his drink. She continued speaking and he turned his attention back to her, “I don’t think you’re arrogant, and I have something to confess. When Jumin told me who my new neighbor would be I was incredibly excited. A tattoo artist? Can’t say I didn’t think that would be a good thing for me business wise, but I also was just excited that another artist would be in the neighborhood.”

“Ah, I’m glad you were excited, I hope I meet your expectations,” he said a bit nervously.

“I got another thing to confess- I googled you,” she said with a blush and he laughed.

“Well, I can only guess what you learned about me, and that makes me even more nervous.”

Waving her hand she spoke up, “I’m drunk, I can’t believe I’m admitting to this. I told you I was excited, but I was also curious as to what style you had if you were Jumin’s best friend. That really threw me and Jaehee for a loop.”

“Jumin doesn’t seem like one who would hang with this type of crowd, does he?” V said with a chuckle.

“No, not at all. He’s super pragmatic, and his appreciation for art seems to come from a very ‘I was raised to be cultured’ sort of place,” she said before hastily adding, “But that’s just my opinion!”

“You wouldn’t be wrong. I’ve known Jumin since we were children and he’s always been very straight forward in his choices. He was surprised at first that I chose this path, but he accepted it immediately. He’s the best friend you could have.”

_________ nodded, “That’s what he said about you.”

V smiled before continuing, “So, you said you googled me. What else did you learn? I know the internet isn’t the most kind place.” With that his gaze slightly darkened, and _______ tried to steer the conversation away from the gossip she had read- that wasn’t her business.

“I read that article in the fashion magazine and that was really fascinating. You have a really famous clientele, and that led me down a rabbit hole of albums of your work.”

They both drank before he asked, “I’m flattered you’d spend that much time, but I assure you, it’s not that interesting.”

“That’s a lie!” ________ declared before clearing her throat. “I was able to get a sense of who you were from it. I don’t want to like, analyze you or anything, but it made me interested in meeting you, especially since you are so damn elusive.”

“Privacy is important,” he shrugged.

“Yah, but publicity is always good, although it doesn’t look like you need it. I take it whenever I can, although it’s usually just a plug about upcoming classes in the local paper,” she laughed. “I think it’s great through that people are so drawn to your work. Tattoos are permanent, after all.”

He listened to her as she spoke, leaning forward on his stool as he paid full attention to the conversation. When she finished speaking, he could only give a lopsided smile, “You sure are open.”

________ immediately turned red and sputtered as she took a sip from her glass. “Oh god! I’m sorry, I-“ she started before he shook his head.

“No, I like it. I’m not used to people speaking so freely.”

“I feel like Jumin speaks what’s on his mind. And I barely know Yoosung, but he always seems willing to talk.”

“Yes, but you are free with your feelings. You don’t hide behind your words, you say exactly what’s on your mind,” he paused, gathering his thoughts, “You don’t worry about how you’re perceived.”

“Ohhhhh that’s a lie,” _______ laughed. “I wasn’t always like this, and you heard how much I’ve apologized this evening. I’m worried about how I’m perceived, but I guess I know that I can’t control that. I just have to live for myself, you know?”

She looked to him to see that he had fallen silent again. He downed the rest of his wine and went to pour another glass before he nodded to her almost empty one. They had a bit of back and forth over it, but he eventually topped her off, promising to finish the rest since she had already drank at the bar. As he poured, she looked around the room and took everything in- the lighting, the succulents and cacti on a shelf, other trinkets that looked both expensive and foreign, before she settled on a small bookshelf filled with both paperbacks, hard cover books, and a series of binders.

“Are those binders filled with your work?” she asked abruptly as she pointed to them. He turned around, eyes widened as he let out a soft, “Oh” before nodding. “Can I take a look?” she asked and when he nodded again she dropped from the chair to her knees and picked up the first one she could grab, sitting down on the ground next to the bookshelf as she opened it and started to slowly go through the pages. While she was staring at the pages, completely taken by the colors and the lines and the shading and practically everything, V sat there staring at her in interest.

She was open, she was funny, she was completely uninhibited and accepting of whatever came her way.

His phone lit up and he turned to it to see a text from Jumin almost 30 minutes back saying, **“________ is coming over. Just to let you know.”** followed up with a more recent one of **“I take it you’re getting along if she hasn’t returned.”**

V smiled discreetly as he sent his friend a short, **“She’s interesting.”**

Jumin replied near immediately, **“Glad to see you’ve hit it off.”**

Placing his phone down, he turned back to her to find her staring intensely at one of his earliest pieces before she looked up to him and pointed at it, “This is old, yah?”

“Very,” he simply replied.

She nodded as she went back to look at it, “It’s a lot more structured.” Her simple analysis surprised him, most people would have thought there wasn’t too much of a difference between his style then and now, but he didn’t comment on it, continuing to watch her as he silently drank his glass.

The minutes ticked by before he asked, “Do you tend to lose yourself and forget others are around when you’re doing this?”

Without looking up, she quipped as she turned the page, “Oh yah. People always think they’ll impress me by taking me to museums or galleries on dates but then they hate that I don’t pay any attention to them.” She finally looked up with a bit of a smirk and finally took a sip of her wine as he laughed.

“I could see how that would annoy whoever was in your company,” he said and once again she noticed that he looked a little sad when he spoke.

She shrugged as she looked back to the binder as she flipped the page again, “Their loss.”

The two sat in amicable silence before V spoke up, “I saw the flyer in your window, you offer a lot of classes. Why?”

“I like to teach,” she answered simply before looking up at him and closing the binder, holding it to her chest. 

“Sounds like there’s more to it though, to offer that many on your own must be a feat.”

Shrugging once again, she traced the binder’s edge as she sat in silence, gathering her thoughts now that she realized how drunk she was getting. “I don’t think art is accessible. The community itself is pretty exclusive and hard to break into, and it can be incredibly intimidating at any age to get into it. I wanted to create a space where people could create and express themselves in any way possible.”

“That’s a noble cause,” V said but she just shook her head. 

“I don’t know about noble, that’s almost too heavy a word. I just want people to find enjoyment in something they might now usually go for. I want kids to learn there are a multitude of ways to express themselves. I want people to find... a community.”

She looked up, and found herself startled at the way he was staring at the glass in his hands. He looked pensive, almost sullen compared to the calm smile that had been on his face before. It was alarming, and she didn’t know what to do in response to that. Placing the binder back in its place, she walked over to the balled up paper and began to unfurl it, desperate to get the despondent look off his face. Once again, she felt like she had seen something she shouldn’t have, and she could only wonder why he fell so eerily silent. 

“What was this supposed to be?” She asked and his head shot up and he looked at her in surprise, as if he had forgotten she was there. 

“A client came in for a consultation today and I have until next week to provide the first draft.”

“Ah, so future tattoo, got it.” She opened up the paper and saw that he had started the line work of a leaf before he had scratched it all out. Turning to him, she held it up and questioned, “A palm frond?”

This drew a smile from his face as he nodded, “Color me impressed.”

“Hah, colored,” she muttered as she finished her wine and he topped off his glass, putting the empty bottle in the trash. 

Sitting back down, she looked over to him as he pointed at a photo he was using as a reference at his desk. “I was trying to go off of that. They said they wanted something ‘tropical’ and when I showed them this photo they immediately agreed that this was what they were looking for.”

“Interesting choice, I never would thought of this as a tattoo.”

“Me either- my clients usually want vines or flowers so I thought this would be an interesting challenge, but it’s turning out a lot harder than I was expecting,” his smile turning self deprecating, he continued, “Maybe I’m just destined to be another shop that closes too soon.”

“Don’t say that,” _______ said harshly, causing him to pull back a little in surprise. “Your work is good, you’re just your toughest critic- I know how it goes.” Pointing at the paper besides him, he took her seat and she sat down at his as she placed the paper on the drawing board and picked up the pen he had dropped earlier. She took a glance at the photo and then tossed it to the desk and out of view before she started drawing, tossing the paper to the side and grabbing a new one randomly. V could only watch in awe. 

“I get wanting to take your client’s desires into consideration, but you gotta make sure it’s your work, you know? I had the same problem when I started out you know. You feel a responsibility to their vision, or what they think they want,” she explained as she tossed yet another paper to the side calmly. “But they came to you for a reason- they want _your_ work.”

Looking down at the finished piece before her, she nodded, satisfied with her work and held it out to him. “It’s not always going to be perfect, you won’t always be satisfied, but you have to keep pushing on.”

He took the paper from her hand and stared at it silently. It was completely different from what he had been doing. While he had been trying to copy the photo her drawing was just a singular frond, the lines curved and each singular leaf on it unique from the other. There was a carefree attitude to it, as if she had just gone for it, had truly just let the pen do what it wanted. Her chin now in her hands, she smiled at him with a slight flush in her cheeks, “It’s kind of ironic that someone would want a tattoo fo a palm frond, since in ancient Egypt they thought it symbolized immortality.”

The entire time V had been quiet, and he seemed to ignore her as he stared at her drawing. As the seconds ticked by, she became a bit nervous and whispered, “V?”

He looked up and she pulled back, he looked so torn, so distraught. He dropped her drawing to the table and looked back at her and she finally felt that she was seeing the real him. Slowly reaching her hand across the desk, ________ felt like she had to do something, anything, to comfort him. Right before she could take his hand in her’s though he pulled it back quickly and put the same fraudulent smile on his face that he had when she first met him. 

“Thank you. That was wonderful advice,” he said, voice just above a whisper as the two sat there, silence once again growing between them before he spoke up, “I should probably try one more time before turning in for the night.”

Nodding, V stood up and ________ followed him, taking the two glasses in hand and walking behind him as they silently made their way to the front door. As they stood there ________ shifted from one foot to the other, the overwhelming urge to help him in some way overtaking her. As she opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off, “This has been really nice. I truly mean that. You are an extraordinary woman, ________.”

That was going to be it for the evening, she could tell. “Thank you,” she whispered and he stared at her with a gaze full of questions before he opened the door and held it open for her. 

“I’ll watch you cross the street,” he said as he crossed his arms, stepping back and creating some distance between them. 

“Thanks for not calling the cops when I barged into your store,” _______ said and this drew a small smile from him. Turning away, she looked both ways and quickly crossed the street, looking back when she got to the door to see that he was still standing there. 

Giving him a small wave, he gave one back and true to his promise, he waited until she was inside before he entered his shop and locked the door. 

“What an evening,” both whispered unknowingly at the same time.


	7. Chapter 7

When she had entered the bar everyone was still there but Jumin had caught her whispering to herself and rose from his seat at the bar. He walked over to her, the bag she had left hanging on the hook an hour before in his hand. “I covered your tab,” he said and when she went to protest he shook his head. “Do you need a taxi home?” he asked and Zen looked over concerned as she shook her head.

“I’m fine,” she said, but her voice gave away how drunk she was and Jumin just chuckled as he pointed to Yoosung who was happily hanging onto Saeyoung’s neck, face beyond red.

“I’ve already called a cab for Yoosung, it’d be easy to call one for you,” he said and after she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder he unlocked his cell, quickly called and asked for a second car to be sent to the same location, and slipped it back into his pocket. “We can share one, I’d like to discuss some matters with you,” he said as he walked over to Yoosung.

“I don’t want to gooooo!” Yoosung wailed when Jumin put his hand on his shoulder.  
Jaehee shook her head at the sight, muttering, “Kids,” which brought a small smile to ________’s previously serious face. With the help of the twins, Jumin had Yoosung up and standing and Saeyoung let out a loud laugh as the distinct yellow cars pulled up.

“Can’t wait for next week!” Yoosung yelled out happily as _________ gave a wave goodbye that everyone else responded to with their own.

“Don’t ditch us next week Jagi!” Zen called out and she laughed as the door shut behind her. She walked out to see Jumin giving the driver Yoosung’s address and asking the poor boy to text both him and V when he got home. As the car drove off, he walked over to the other and held the door open for ________ before he walked around to the other side of the car and got in. He swiftly gave the driver her address, and she looked over as the car pulled away from the curb.

“Stalking me?” she asked, which drew a wry smile from him.

“My memory is exceptional, and you seem to forget that I ask all my tenants to provide their permanent address on their application,” he said as they turned off their street. Without missing a beat, he continued, “I think it’s rather obvious why I asked you to join me, but I’ll still ask. How was it?”

She knew he was referring to her evening with V, and while she felt weird talking to the person closest to him about it, she felt comfortable with Jumin and knew he wouldn’t judge. “Promise you won’t tell him?” she still asked though, and when he gave her a single nod she knew it to be true and started speaking. “He’s so different from anyone I’ve met before,” she said, looking out the window as it made it easier to talk to him about this. “I came in without an invite, but he still let me stay, and we stayed there for an hour just talking about nothing in particular. I spent most of my time there rummaging through a binder of his old work.”

“I’m surprised he let you,” Jumin replied, causing ________ to turn away from the window and look at him obviously puzzled. With a sigh, he continued, “He usually doesn’t like to revisit a piece once it’s been complete, and especially once it’s been placed on someone’s body. He has a lot of repeat customers, and he does touch ups since that’s a part of the trade, but he doesn’t really like to reflect on them once he’s created them.”

“He doesn’t like his work?” She asked and it was Jumin’s turn to look away. 

“You can ask him yourself if you’re interested.”

Stopped at a red light, she slid down the seat and sighed, “You’re just making him more confusing Jumin. I already have no idea who he is.”

It fell silent for a moment before Jumin spoke up, “I guess you’re right. I can imagine he didn’t speak freely about himself and that you led the majority of the conversation.”

“It was still nice. I think I got too pushy at the end though,” ________ responded which caused Jumin to smile. 

“You don’t get pushy, you just push someone to be their best. I think he needed that, which is why I didn’t stop you from going over.”

The cab pulled up to her apartment and before she opened the door Jumin spoke up, causing her to turn to him, “I want to thank you for being kind to him, like I asked.”

“I wasn’t going to be rude?” She said, a bit confused. 

Looking forward he simply said, “I know. I still mean it though. Have a good evening, ________.”

Stepping out, she gave a short wave and walked to her apartment building, pulling out her keys and quickly entering. 

As the cab pulled off, Jumin sighed and pulled out his phone, reading the text he had received from V before _________ had entered the bar. 

**“Can you make sure she gets home safe?”**

**_“She’s home. You could have been the one to do this you know.”_ **

Jumin sent the text and sighed when he saw that his friend had read it but didn’t respond, Jumin leaned back in his seat and watched the city go by as he was driven to him home a bit further from her modest apartment. “There’s no problem with just simply trying to get close to others Jihyun...” he muttered as the lights of different buildings flashed by. 

 

When __________ woke up the next morning, she couldn’t tell if she felt bad because of the 2 beers and 2 and a half glasses of wine she had had or because she had spent half the night tossing and turning, just wondering who exactly V was. Groaning as she rolled out of bed, she secretly hoped that Jaehee was going to come into her shop that morning for their usual Friday gossip about the night before, only because it meant that Jaehee would come over with coffee, which she so desperately needed. 

She wasn’t looking forward to the line of questioning she knew was going to come her way in exchange for it though. 

When she had walked up to her shop a little later than usual Jaehee was already outside, coffee in hand. 

“You’re late,” she said which drew a dismissive wave of the hand from ________. 

“I know you have a million questions, just let me drop my stuff and I’ll come back out.” Jaehee laughed as ________ unlocked the door and lazily made her way in, coming out a few minutes later with her sunglasses still on and a less than perky expression. Holding her hand out, Jaehee handed her her usual and she took a long drink before sighing, “Well, what do you want to know?”

“What happened last night?” was all Jaehee asked unable to hide her curiosity. 

“I got drunk, went over to V’s shop, entered without permission, and then ended up sitting on the floor of his studio looking at the tattoos he’s created while drinking even more,” ______ said as she gestured to the shop next to them. 

“I’m not naive, _______, I know something else happened. You left so easily with Jumin while you usually stay out til at least 11,” Jaehee stated matter of factly. 

“Well I also usually don’t have 4 drinks in 2 hours without eating dinner,” ________ replied as she looked over the top of her sunglasses to her friend. “I mean, yah other things happened. We didn’t talk about anything in particular, mainly about the previous owners of his store, the classes I teach, and then I looked at his art. It was just a basic ‘getting to know you’ conversation.” She hadn’t even been able to tell Jumin what she had seen so she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell Jaehee what had happened.

“Ah, I was wondering what you could have kept you so long, but I know how you get when it comes to art you like. It must have been nice to talk about art with someone else,” Jaehee said, satisfied with ________’s explanation. 

________ smiled and went, “Eh” knowing they really didn’t have the type of conversation Jaehee was imagining which caused Jaehee to turn to her with a soft “Hmm?” Shaking her head, ________ replied, “Nothing,” and went back to drinking her coffee as she began to ask Jaehee about her night. 

After 10 mins of back and forth about another asinine argument between Zen and Jumin, Saeyoung using every single trick up his sleeve to get Yoosung to show how gullible he was, and a nice conversation Saeran and her had about efficient business practices, _________ had completely finished her drink and frowned down at her mug. “Do you want more?” Jaehee asked, immediately noticing that her cup was empty. 

_________ nodded and let out an exhausted, “Yah I want more,” which caused Jaehee to laugh brightly. 

“Ever honest, a good quality in a friend I guess,” she said as she took the mug and started to walk back to her cafe. “I’ll bring back round 2!” She called out and ________ gave her a thumbs up as she leaned up against the window of her store. It was her usual routine to see people getting in and setting up their shops for the day, always throwing a quick wave to anyone she might see or responding to their calls of “Good morning!”, and it grounded her as she started to calm down her thoughts from the night before. When Jaehee returned with a larger to-go container of coffee just the way she liked it she gave her friend the most puppy dog of smiles and Jaehee just laughed in return. 

“Yoosung’s a sweet kid,” Jaehee started out of nowhere, and ________ looked over in interest. 

“That came out of nowhere,” she said a little surprised. 

Jaehee laughed but carried on, “He’s young, only 21, and he also just graduated from college. I guess that seems far away, and I guess I saw more of myself in him than I’d care to admit.” Taking a moment to drink her own coffee, she turned to ______ and smiled. “He was so happy that you invited him. I think he’s looking for friends more than he cares to admit.”

________ looked embarrassed for a moment, shaking her head, “I would have done it for anyone who moved in, but I guess I’m happy that he found some people he felt comfortable with.”

“But you wish someone else would feel that way, hmmm?” Jaehee flashed her friend a teasing look, laughing when she returned the look with a glare of her own. 

“Not today Jae-,” she started before she was interrupted by a voice coming up behind her. 

“I’m so sorry for how I acted last night!” a still-boyish voice called out and the two women shared a smirk before turning around to their new companion. 

“You’re rushing, are you late?” ________ teased, causing Yoosung to turn bright red which in turn made Jaehee and _______ laugh. 

“Oh she’s just teasing you,” Jaehee said, immediately turning motherly and asking, “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Ah not too bad luckily, I think all the leftover takeout I ate when I got back to my apartment helped,” Yoosung explained quickly. “I’m exhausted though, I got online to play LOLOL but I was super tired and passed out before I could log in,” he said, drawing a disapproving look from Jaehee. 

“Well, as I told you last night, you should quit playing games,” she said and before she could continue, _______ jumped in to the conversation. 

“Yah, you wouldn’t be super tired when you come to the bar with us on Thursday if you have a better sleep schedule,” she said, trying to tie it to something positive. 

Jaehee caught on and stopped herself from rolling her eyes, which _______ caught and grinned widely at, but she held out a carrier for coffee and said, “Your vanilla latte. Thought you might need it.”

“I didn’t even realize you had that,” _______ said, a little dumbfounded that she hadn’t noticed to which Jaehee laughed. 

Yoosung though, was completely slack jawed, “Are you sure?” Jaehee just nodded and he grabbed it greedily, tilting his head back and chugging a few gulps. ______ and Jaehee just looked at each other with slightly raised eyebrows as they took their own sip, before Yoosung sighed happily. “Man I needed this, thank you so much Jaehee! How much?” He asked, making a move to pull out his wallet. 

“No need,” Jaehee simply said and Yoosung immediately went to protest.

“Why’s there a fourth?” _______ asked, interrupting Yoosung and ending the obvious back and forth before it even started. 

Jaehee smiled at _______ knowingly while Yoosung stood there oblivious. _______ once again looked over her shades at her friend before Jaehee didn’t answer her question and stepped towards Yoosung. “This is your for boss,” Jaehee said brightly and _______ would have groaned if the boy wasn’t there, turning away from her friend to take in Yoosung’s reaction. Jaehee, for all her positive attributes, knew just what to do to push her buttons in the most subtle of ways. 

“What’s for me?” A voice ran out from behind them and _______ stiffened, looking to her right to see V standing there with a soft smile. It was obvious that he too was tired though. 

“V!” She said, surprised at his sudden appearance which drew a smile from him. 

“Good morning, ________, Yoosung,” he said gently before looking at a dumbstruck Jaehee. “You must be Jaehee Kang, I feel like I’ve already met you,” he said with a pleasant smile. 

Jaehee immediately held the carrier out to him, “Oh, I wasn’t expect this! It’s nice to meet you, V.”

He took the coffee from her and ________ held her hand out, signaling to Jaehee to give the now empty carrier to her when V stretched his hand out for an introductory hand shake. As the two of them met, _______ walked to the recycling can a few feet away and tried to compose herself before she turned back around. She really hadn’t been expecting to see him, and the fact that she had been nervous when he appeared didn’t sit well with her. “What’s gotten into you _______,” she thought as she turned back around and joined the circle, smiling as she entered their conversation. 

“V, you really should have gone to the bar last night, it was fun!” Yoosung had said when she stepped back in, and she smiled at his enthusiasm. 

The joys of youth.

“Maybe next week,” was all V said as he drank from his cup and turned to Jaehee, “Delicious as the last time, you have a real talent for this.”

Jaehee didn’t take high praise very well, and her flustered reaction brought another smile to _______’s face as she stuttered out her thanks. It was nice, the 4 of them together just having a nice morning conversation. Yoosung and Jaehee dominated it while V and ______ sat back and listened, but when Yoosung mentioned something about gaming again Jaehee immediately began coaching him on best sleep practices. 

_______ jumped a little when V unexpectedly leaned towards her and said softly, “I don’t think Yoosung knows what to do. He’s so on edge.”

She looked up to see another soft smile planted on V’s face and she smiled back in return, “Jaehee has that effect on people, although I can’t say it’s a bad thing. Sometimes you just need a swift kick in the pants and she is always happy to provide it.”

“Seems like she’s good at it too, I’ve never seen Yoosung so flustered,” he replied. 

“She knows how to be intimidating, she has a black belt in Judo after all,” ________ said and the two shared another smile. 

Voice still down, he continued, “I want to thank you for your advice last night. I was able to get a first draft of the piece I was working on completed because of you.”

Instead of expressing excitement at the piece, which he expected, ________ immediately replied concernedly, “You didn’t stay up all night, right?”

“Not the reaction I was expecting,” he said truthfully. 

“Oh, trust me, I want to see it,” she said, and he almost felt like she had read his mind, but she just continued, “But still, you need to rest up! You use needles on peoples’ bodies to create art, you can’t be tired when doing that.”

V gave a bit of a cheeky grin to that and simply said, “Well good thing I just have another consultation today.”

_______ just smiled upon hearing that and laughed, “Well good. You should probably still sleep though.”

“And here you were, implying that it was Jaehee who was a nag.” 

_______’s looking at him with a slack jaw. “Wowwww, look who likes to nag now,” she said before she heard someone clear their throat. Both her and V looked over at Yoosung and Jaehee who were staring at them openly bemused in their own way. “Got something to say?” _______ asked, suddenly defensive. 

“Nothing at all,” Jaehee said as she took a long sip from her coffee while Yoosung shook his head. 

At this interruption, V quickly jumped in, “Thank you for the coffee, but we need to get in and start prepping for the day.” Looking back at Yoosung he pointed at his bag and asked, “You have your final work to show me today?”

“Ugh, yes I do,” the blond said, pulling out a sketchbook as if to prove to V he had done what was asked. 

The older three laughed at Yoosung’s obviously annoyed face and as V and Yoosung started to walk towards their building V turned around and looked directly at ________. “Can I come over and show you what I have so far later today?” he asked, looking expectantly at her. 

She could only nod to which he smiled at before she spoke up, “I have lessons 12-1:30 and 2-4, so anytime before or after that works for me.”

“Sounds like a plan. It was nice to meet you finally, Jaehee!” he said before he turned away and followed Yoosung inside the shop. When their door closed, ________ turned and looked over her sunglasses, already anticipating the look on Jaehee’s face. 

“Don’t you dare,” she said as she took in Jaehee’s small little smile. 

“Hmmm?” Jaehee asked with another large grin which caused ________ to raise her hand with a loud, “Ugh!” And walk into her store. 

Turning around, Jaehee started walking back to her cafe before looking into V’s shop before continuing on. She felt content upon meeting him and seeing how _______ and him interacted, even a little relieved. It was nice to see ________ look so happily at another person, even though she knew _______ didn’t realize it. 

5 minutes later, ________ received a single text.

**_“Have fun at your editing session later.”_ **

_______ let out another “Augh” and responded with a sticker of her angrily waving a paint brush before tossing her phone in her pocket. 

She didn’t want to admit that she was excited for 4 o’clock to come up.

 

Her final class done and the charcoal smudges left behind on the tables cleaned up, she looked up to see that it was 4:15 and that no one had come in downstairs. She subconsciously had been waiting to hear the usual jingle of the bells, wondering if V was really going to stop by that afternoon. Walking down the stairs, drying her hands off on a rag, her head shot up when she finally heard the bells ring, immediately smiling when she saw V walking in with a folder in his hand. 

“Still a good time?” He simply asked and she nodded with a wide and welcoming smile on her face. 

“Definitely!” Turning back on the stairs she looked over her shoulder and beckoned him with her hand. “Follow me, the lighting is so much better up here,” she said with a smile as she bounded up the stairs to check that everything was truly in order.

She was truly something else, and V couldn’t exactly pinpoint he felt when he looked at her. After she had left the night before, he had spent his entire night working on his commission, taking her advice to heart and thinking about the way she stared at his work in wonder as she sat on the ground. Following after her and ignoring his pounding heart, he grabbed the railing of the stairs and slowly made his way up, taking him time making sure he didn’t miss a step. 

For the first time in awhile he felt he felt at ease, and while he didn’t know what to make of it, he knew that he wanted more. 

He felt immensely guilty at this realization.


	8. Chapter 8

The second floor was the pride and joy of ________’s shop. The top floor had been converted into one large room with a single side room that she used for storage, making it large and spacious for any and all classes she decided to hold. Her building was one of the largest on the block, but it was also one of the best utilized. The windows were plentiful and let in a generous amount of natural light that anyone would kill to have. The hardwood floors were kept immaculate, her organization was just flawless as it was by object and then color or size, and when the windows were opened, letting in the light summer breeze that made air conditioning irrelevant, her space was the most desirable on the block. 

And she was truly proud of that. 

When V had ascended the stairs he didn’t know what to expect, but he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the space she had created. Long and low tables were set up with tiny chairs meant for children, there were shelves low to the ground filled with every tool you could think of, but what really drew his eye was the one messy corner of the room. A single easel stood there with a stool pushed to the side and a side table covered with different pastels, all in various stages of use. He immediately knew that was “her” corner, and while he was drawn to it and took a step in its direction, his attention was diverted when he heard her call out to him. 

_________ was seated at a table on the opposite side of the room that was taller than the rest in the space. Walking over, he commented, “This place is beautiful. I can’t stop looking around.”

“Ah! Thanks!” _______ said cheerfully as she looked around the room herself. “Sometimes it can be a bit annoying, shifting between the different levels of classes and making sure I have the tables at the right height and the right chairs set up, but overall I couldn’t have asked for a better space.” She stood up and started walking towards the storage room, looking over her shoulder and simply asking, “Tea?”

“Oh yes, please,” V responded as he opened his folder and pulled out the completed version of his tattoo and another one that was just the lineart. 

After a second of rummaging in the room, she came out with a water heater and 2 mugs, a tin of tea under her arm. Pouring water from the bottle she had up there, she plugged the pot in, turned it on, and prepped the tea. “How was your day?” she asked as she placed the leaves into the 2 steepers she had on hand. 

“Oh, it was good. Yoosung and I reviewed his latest work and I met with a client I’ve been seeing for years, which was easier than the newer clients I’ve had over the past few days,” he responded before asking her, “What about you?”

“Ahhhh it was a busy day, can’t lie. I had a lot more customers than expected this morning, and then 2 children’s classes. We used charcoal for the first time in the 10-13 class, that’s always fun,” she said with a smirk as she raised her arms up for him, her forearms still black in some places. 

“That’s risky,” he muttered and she just laughed as the pot began to whistle. 

“Risky, but fun. We only do it once, but some kids end up taking a liking to it, especially for shading and what not,” she said as she poured the water and turned around to him, taking the chair next to him. “So, how can I help?” she said with a smile, looking down at the two pieces of paper he had placed before her. 

He pushed the one he had colored towards her before he went to take off the cardigan he always had on and hanging in on the chair next to him. “I took your advice and whenever I drew something I didn’t like I just immediately moved on to the next sheet. I didn’t focus on my errors as much because of it, and it helped me know what I was going for as I moved throughout it.”

_______ smiled as she played with her own steeper as she looked at his work, “Well, I’m glad you found some value in it.” As he drank his tea and continued to look around the room, ________ looked away from the drawing and down to V’s exposed forearm. He had two tattoos on the inside of his left forearm that she could see, one a beautiful geometric pattern with a watercolor splash effect throughout it and another one on his wrist, a simple tattoo of the word “tragic”. She didn’t want to be caught looking so she immediately glanced back at his drawing, but she couldn’t help but wonder what that last one had meant. 

Tragic was a dark word. 

She looked back at his drawing and paid closer attention to it, smiling as she looked over it and the colors he used. “I like the use of yellow at the tips, giving it that sun-bleached look,” she said as she placed the tea steeper out and onto a plate she had on the table. “The green is also quite vivid. It’s coloring in pretty spot on, although I have no idea how a tattoo would turn out of this,” she said as she looked up at him and titled her head before asking, “I heard that yellow isn’t really used in tattoos often because it fades easily, does your client know that?”

“You know a bit more about tattoos than I was expecting,” he said as he followed suit and removed the steeper from his own mug. 

“Ehhhhh I have a lot of friends who have them and I go back and forth every year on whether I want to get one or not so I know just a bit,” she admitted as she held up the paper. “I really like this compared to the one you had started last night. It feels softer,” she said with a smile as she pushed it back. 

“Thank you, I took what you said about the client and keep that in mind when drawing. They’re petite, so I didn’t want to overpower them with the darker lines I had yesterday,” he said as he took the paper from her and smiled down at it.

“I don’t know if I have anything bad to say about it, but maybe I would make it less green? Maybe add some yellow undertones to it? Palm trees aren’t exactly fully green, despite their tropical reputation,” she as she shrugged once. 

“Hmmm... I’ll take that into consideration for the next version I produce,” V responded and they sat in comfortable silence as they drank their tea. When he placed a mug down, V slid the other version to her quickly asking, “I was going to color again on this one, do the lines match the one I just showed you?”

________ regarded it quickly and shook her head ‘yes’ emphatically. “You traced it, yah? The lines are remarkedly the same,” she said as she pushed it back to him. 

“Good,” he simply replied and the two went back to their tea. Looking around the room again, he gestured to nothing in particular, saying with some sort of wonder, “This space is really amazing.”

“Ah! Thanks again, I nearly died and went to heaven when Jumin showed me this place. He was the one who gave me the initial tour, and I basically demanded to sign the lease the second it was over,” she laughed as she remembered how confused Jumin was as her insistence. 

“Good thing you pushed, he probably would have overthought the amount of business that would come from having an art store and its overall value,” V said to which ______ laughed at. 

“I guess you’re right!” she said brightly as she finished laughing, “But I also like to think that I provided a good case from the beginning.” 

“I didn’t mean to discredit you,” V said guiltily but _______ reacted with an unexpected chuckle.

“I know you didn’t, not even close V,” she said as she looked down at her tea.

Pointing to the easel in the corner and desperate to move the conversation from , he gathered the courage to ask, “Is that your work?”

She looked over with a soft “Oh” before nodding a few times. “Something I was working on in between giving the kids instructions,” she shrugged before she looked away. 

“May I see?” He asked and while she hesitated for a moment, she stood up and walked over to it, waving to V to follow her. 

She quickly tidied up the area surrounding it and when he came around and stood next to her to face it he immediately perked up, his posture straighter and a small smile appearing on his face. The paper she had been drawing on was covered in an array of beautiful bright colors, abstract in their shapes but V immediately knew what he was looking at. “These are your students, in the middle of a lesson, aren’t they?” he asked, a serene look on his face. 

“Yes,” ________ answered softly, “I started using the students in my first class as the base and then continued with the second class. They just looked so cheerful, I wanted to capture that.”

“You did a wonderful job with the colors,” he said as he leaned in to get a closer look.

“Ah, thanks. I know they aren’t exactly natural per say, but I wanted to capture just how vivid it was to me,” she said as she in turn stepped back to look at it from a different angle. They stood in silence for a moment before he stepped back and crossed his arms, looking at her as she stared at her work with an incredibly thoughtful look. 

He wanted to laugh at how serious she looked, her brow furrowed a little deeper than expected with a pursed lip. Tt brought him a profound sense of joy to see someone else so thoroughly wrapped up in their work. Lost in his thoughts, he realized that she had been asking him a question and quickly jumped in. “Sorry, was lost in the colors,” he quickly lied, “What was it you just asked?”

“Ah ok, thought I’d lost you there for a moment. I was just wondering if I should keep it abstract like this or if I should try to give it more definition.”

“I like it just the way it is. You can tell you’re going for a feeling rather than trying to capture an exact moment in time,” he said and he held back the blush that threatened to spread on his face when she brightly smiled back. 

“Great, I’m glad you could tell. I don’t know if I’ll keep working on it that much longer, but I just need to get it out, you know?” She said as she walked away from it and back to his own drawing still resting on the table. 

She started looking at it thoughtfully and V came up to her side, looking back down at the drawing she was now staring at with interest. “Something you’d like to share with the class?” he joked, secretly a little unsure of what she was doing. 

“I was thinking that maybe this could use some more yellow throughout. I know that people think of palm trees as bright and green but there is actually a lot more yellow in them in reality. I like the frond itself, but the more I think about it the more I would actually like to see some yellow through it, at least a quarter of the way down, and definitely near the stem,” she said seriously as she held the paper up to the light coming through the window.

V took a step behind her and looked at the drawing from the angle she was viewing it at. As he looked at it, he realized he had come up unnaturally close to her and that he was a bit distracted at the woman before him. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, some smudges of pastel on the hair tie she was using, and a few other marks of the purples and blues she was using on her own drawing tracing the back of her neck. He could imagine her rubbing her neck as she looked at the painting during class, and he found himself thinking, “I wish I could watch _________ during her creative process.”

Stepping back from her immediately as it crossed his mind, he felt his heart race a little as he cleared his throat. “Interesting, I had thought of keeping it more like the photo I took.”

“That was a great photo, but it was a bit too perfect for my eyes, like you had been in Hawaii or an actual tropical jungle,” she mumbled before she whipped her head, eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Wait, you took that photo from last night? You told me you were just using it!”

V smiled sheepishly at that, rubbing his own neck as he laughed awkwardly, “Well, yes, I photograph on the side too.”

“Wow, a true Renaissance man,” she said as she smiled at the drawing again. 

“Like you said last night, I think that’s too strong a phrase,” V said gently as he watched her cheeks become pink as she remembered their conversation from the night before. 

“I think I said that about a word,” she said as her cheeks became even more pink, which he prompted at easy smile from him. She dropped the paper back to the table and pointed to the other one he had showed her and said, “I would at least try it, see if you like it or not.”

“Your advice hasn’t been wrong yet, so I have no choice but to try, _________,” he replied. 

She wanted to burst, he was so handsome, his smile small but his eyes full of determination as he looked down at the work. 

“Wait, handsome?” she thought, shaking her head as she willed herself to not blush again. 

She was shaken out of her thoughts when V began to gather the papers and quickly say, “I’d like to go and start working on it, actually. I have a few ideas the more I think about it.”

“I’m glad!” ________ said cheerfully, starting to towards the stairs. “Let me see you out.”

As he followed behind her his eyes were drawn to her neck once again, how vibrant the colors were against her skin, how her baby hairs curled out at the nape of her neck, how she was imperfect and how she didn’t seem to notice any of it, or if she did how she accepted it. 

“She’s not afraid to show herself to the world,” he realized as he watched her.

 

As they walked out of her shop he turned to her, ready to thank her once again and selfishly ask if he could come to her if he ever needed a second pair of eyes on a piece but the roar of a motorcycle drew both of their attentions elsewhere.

V was a little taken aback when the bike pulled up to front of her shop and parked in the loading zone, but he was even more surprised when the man driving it stood up and took his helmet off. The man was absolutely stunning, a vision of perfection in V’s eyes. The way he tossed his hair back and wiped the sweat from his absolutely perfect brow was so smooth, and when he opened his vibrant eyes to look over at ________ V found himself feeling a little uncomfortable.

When the man turned to ________ and exclaimed, “Jagiya!” V felt himself growing even more antsy.

“Zen!” _______ called out and laughed as he went over and wrapped her up in a hug. They moved so in sync with each other, none of the distance that was between her and V in any of their actions. Zen had picked her up, spun her around once, and dropped her, hands still on her waist as he started chattering excitedly.

“I got it!” he said with a smile that most women (hell, even men) would love to have thrown their way and ________’s eyes widened in excitement as she clapped her hands together.  
“Oh my gosh you did?!” she said with as much happiness as the man named Zen had and V felt himself shrinking back.

This man was handsome, beautiful even. He had gorgeous silver hair, stunning red eyes, and even V could tell that he had a body that matched the beauty of his face. He had total control of his body and the way he moved was composed and fluid. He was obviously strong because of how he was able to lift _______ without problem and without reservation.

They were obviously different.

Quickly taking a step backwards, he rose his hand to give a quick and cursory goodbye as he started walking back to his shop before ________ turned to him and reached out towards him, “Wait, V, I want you to meet Zen!” The way she held her hand out to him he almost felt special, but he quickly pushed that away and walked back to them where the man named Zen stood there a little surprised.

“Ah! I’m sorry I didn’t see you there, _______ just always tends to draw the eye to her and nothing else,” he said as he threw a wink to her that she simply just rolled her eyes at while smiling at him gently. “I’m Zen, I work at the bar across the street and you are obviously V, the man who took our princess away from us last evening,” he said with a wide smile as he held his hand out.

V was a little unsettled by the positive attitude that Zen was exuding, but he took Zen’s hand in his and firmly shook it while ________ tsked, “Ohhhh shush on that whole princess thing.”

V finally spoke up, “Yes, I’m V, I own the new tattoo studio next door. It’s nice to meet you Zen.”  
________ stood there smiling as they introduced themselves and when those had been made she spoke up, “Zen is an artist himself, although in a totally different field!”

Almost as if on cue, Zen responded in perfect time, “All artists share the same heart, but yes, I’m an actor, specifically musical theater!”

“And you got the role you just auditioned for!” ________ jumped in excitedly.

V simply nodded and smiled, “Well congratulations. I wish you the best of luck as you prepare.”

“I can’t wait! We’ll all have to go to your opening night like last time!” ________  said and while V smiled gently at her exuberance he noticed how eager Zen was to nod.

“Definitely! And V, you’ll have to join! Yoosung too,” Zen said before he felt his phone vibrate. Looking down, he groaned as he shoved back in his pocket, “Well, looks like I have to clock in. V, it was nice meeting you.” Turning to ________, he gave her a swift kiss on the cheek saying, “Come over for a drink to celebrate later, Jagiya.” As he walked back to his bike he sat down and turned it on, placing his helmet on his head and giving a small wave as he pulled off and made a quick U-turn.

After the noise died down, ________ turned to V and smiled. “I’m glad you were able to meet someone else, V. Zen is a great guy- one of the best on the block and in general.”

“He is certainly charming,” V agreed to which _______ nodded.

They fell silent for a moment before they both went to speak, laughing and going quiet again before ________ said faintly, “You first.”

She was so generous, and he took a moment to take in her features; the gentle smile, the way she looked at him expectantly, her hands clasped behind her back as she leaned a little on her heels. It was endearing.

“I just wanted to say thank you for reviewing my work,” he stated.

“And I wanted to thank you for reviewing mine!” she said brightly. “Please come over anytime you need a second pair of eyes, I’m honored you’d want me to help you,” she said before shouting a little louder, “Oh! Before you go...” She trailed off as she reached into the breast pocket of her smock and pulled out a card before pulling out a pen from another pocket and quickly scribbling something down on the back. “My number,” she said with a smile as she handed it to him. 

V gently took the card out of her hand and smiled as he gazed upon it. “Thank you,” he said gently as he gave her a strong smile. He couldn’t stop staring at the pleased one that spread across her face. 

“You’re welcome, V,” she said as she started to walk back to her shop giving him a quick wave as she opened the door and walked in. 

V turned on his heel and quickly walked back into his own store, leaning against the door as he stared at the card in his hand. It was a simple business card, her logo emblazoned on the front with the shop’s basic info, but when he turned it around to see her number in her handwriting along with a simple smiley face he broke into a wide smile. She was truly something else, she seemed to have this powerful effect to make someone feel hopeful. 

The smile dropped from his face when he remembered the way Zen had called her “Jagiya”.


	9. Chapter 9

A week had passed with no sight of V, and while ________ had noticed it she had been too busy to think much of it. 

And by the time she wasn’t busy, she just didn’t want to think about plain anything at all.

During the summer she was closed every Sunday and had shortened hours and classes on Saturday she always made a point to have her shop closed every other Saturday during the summer as a bit of a break for herself. It was her busiest time of the year after all, and she needed to keep sane. 

Waking up the morning of her rare day off she lazily stretched in bed as she started to think over what he wanted to do with her time. Taking a long shower and eating a small breakfast, she took the time to read the paper and get ready for her day. As she rummaged through her closet trying to figure out what to wear she started musing aloud, “I could just go and window shop for a bit, maybe I’ll find something to buy that I can treat myself too.” Holding up a dress to herself, she turned back to the closet as she muttered, “I could also go and get a nice lunch, that sounds good.”

Nodding affirmatively she finally picked an outfit and grabbed her purse, ready to head out and simply just enjoy some time to herself. She eventually made her way to the more expensive part of the city and walking around the different shops there, staring at the displays in the windows and finding some small inspiration in what most people thought to be mundane things. It was almost therapeutic, just going and simply walking around and not having to worry about a kid spilling a glass of murky water, an adult getting into too many detailed questions about why they were using a certain medium. 

It was simply nice being alone and not having to worry about anything. 

And she loved going to the more expensive areas of town from time to time, taking in the new trends and just being able to people watch. 

She stood outside of a well known department store looking at a display advertising resort wear and taking in the colors and poses the mannequins were set in. She started to imagine a new piece in her head that was focused on the theme of vacation, of true relaxation when she heard a curious voice call her name from behind that she immediately recognized. 

“Jumin?” she asked as she turned around, only to be surprised by the sight of V standing by her side. “Oh gosh, V too! Hello,” she was able to get out as she looked between the two. 

“I thought that was you when we walked out of the store,” Jumin said as he took a step towards her. V stood behind him, his eyes a little wide as they ran over _______ and she felt herself becoming a little self conscious as they regarded her. 

This wasn’t her neck of the woods after all, and it made sense for the two of them to be in this wealthier downtown. “Ah, I’m surprised you noticed me,” she said truthfully as they met on the sidewalk . 

“I could spot you out of a crowd much larger than this,” Jumin said as V walked up to them too.

“How are you doing, ________?” V asked, a slightly flustered look on his face.

“Oh, well. I have today off so I was just wandering around town,” she said as she gestured in general with her head.   
“Do you usually come to this area?” V replied to which ________ shook her head ‘no’. 

“I was going to say,” Jumin cut in, “I have never seen you around here before.” 

“Ah, I come around sometimes but I’m embarrassed to admit that it’s mainly just to browse,” she said as she looked away, still a little flustered to see them “out in the wild” so to speak. Trying to turn the attention away from herself she asked, “what are you two doing this afternoon?” 

Jumin swiftly began explaining, “Jihyun and I were meeting at this store before going to lunch.”

“Oh I won’t keep you then!” she said with a wave goodbye. She could only imagine where they were eating and was almost jealous of where they could be going. Jumin had mentioned once that he had never had fast food before, and she knew there were some top rated restaurants in walking distance. 

“Would you like to join us? It wouldn’t be a problem at all, I can call them and add you to the reservation. Do you like French food?” Jumin said abruptly which elicited raised eyebrows from both _____ and V. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose!” _______ declared as she wove her hand. There was something about the pairing of V and Jumin together that made them slightly more intimidating, especially since she was in their part of the woods and didn’t have home court advantage. 

“Nonsense, it wouldn’t be an imposition at all. Let me call,” Jumin said as he walked off a bit, leaving V and ________ standing there. 

“It’s true, _______, you wouldn’t be imposing on us at all. In fact, you might just make the conversation a bit more lively,” V said to her. 

“I’m pretty sure you two want to catch up on stuff though, maybe how the building is for you, or just general friend stuff,” she trailed off but V just shook his head. 

“We talk quite often, it would just have been a continuation of whatever previous conversation we were having which can turn almost too nostalgic sometimes. It’ll be great to have a new burst of energy,” he replied. 

________ paused for a moment before nodding, “Since you two are so insistent.”

V laughed, and she was captivated by the wide smile that graced his features and how gentle it was that she barely heard him saying, “It’ll be nice getting to know you outside the walls of our stores.”

Jumin walked back up to them, sliding his phone in his pocket before he authoritatively stated, “They were able to accommodate us with no problem. Our reservation is in ten minutes though, so we should probably start heading over there now.”

“Where are we even going?” ________ asked, running through her head of the smaller bistros and cafes in the area in an effort to determine where they could be heading before Jumin smoothly replied. 

“Le Jardin, have you heard of it?” 

_______ stopped in her tracks at the mention of the name before quickly following along, hoping they hadn’t caught that. Of course she had heard about ‘Le Jardin’, the most famous French restaurant, if not restaurant in general, within a 100 mile radius. “Definitely,” she replied which drew a satisfied nod from Jumin. 

V looked back at her, sensing that something was off in her distance behind them and realized what was going on when he saw her staring at their heels as she walked, an intense yet worried face. 

“Oh shit,” _______ thought as she ran through the menu she had once poured over online and started remembering how expensive everything had been. “Ok, you can afford this, just rearrange your budget,” she thought as she did the numbers in her head. Nodding once, she looked up to see V staring at her before turning his head around after giving her a small smile. She almost thought he had been intending it to be comforting, since she felt lighter after seeing it. 

Finally arriving at the restaurant, V held the door open for her and when she stepped inside she had to will her eyes not to shoot wide open. This place was better looking, better smelling than any review could have described. Jumin and V seemed completely unaffected by anything though and when a host quickly approached them and guided themselves to a seat with a great view of the garden in their backyard _______ quickly realized why. 

This wasn’t their first time here. Not even close.

Sitting down on the chair the host had pulled out for her she was happy to see that she had been given the seat with a near perfect view. As they were seated at their table, she looked to the two men and quickly whispered, “Jumin, does your father own the building or something?”

Jumin and V both laughed at that while Jumin picked up the wine list and glanced over to _______ with a teasing look. 

A teasing look that V realized he’d never seen his friend make before.

“You can make your own assumptions, but maybe V is the reason we can afford to sit here,” Jumin said as he threw that glance towards V before looking back to ________. 

“Don’t drag me into this,” V said as he snatched the list out of his hand and turned to _______ asking as he scanned the list, “What do you usually drink?”

________ couldn’t help but notice that he held the list significantly closer to his face than Jumin. As she studied him she responded, “Ah, I’m ok, two can choose, I probably wont’ drink.”

“________, you do realize you’re our guest, right? We invited you, please order whatever you like,” V said and her eyes widened a bit as they continued to stare at each other. 

“How could he have realized that was my concern?” She thought before she responded with a simple, “Thank you.”

“So, what do you drink?” Jumin repeated. 

“Wine definitely for a place like this,” she said, “Any variety really. For meals though I usually prefer a red.”

“Good, that’s really all Jumin and I drink,” V said as he turned to his friend, pointing at a line that Jumin nodded affirmatively at.

Calling the waiter over, Jumin just pointed at the wine and the man nodded, immediately turning over the wine glasses on their table and go off to prepare the bottle for them. 

“Alright, now that that’s taken care of, what do you all want for entrees,” he said turning to the first page. 

“Oh wow, this place is truly French,” ________ thought as she glanced down to realize they had a separate section for ‘Le Plat Principal’. This was going to be a once in a lifetime meal, she’d have to appreciate it. 

 

“So, how’d you two meet?” _______ asked a glass of wine later, completely curious as to how these people who seemed so different could get along so well.

“We were neighbors growing up. One day I crashed my toy car into his house and V asked me to be his friend and in return he wouldn’t get me in any trouble,” Jumin said with a laugh to which V nodded at. 

“After that we were pretty much inseparable, we went to school together until university, spent nearly every minute outside of school together, spent holidays with our fathers together, it was rare to see one without the other,” V laughed.   
________ smiled as she took a sip of her wine, feeling beyond privileged to see this side of them. While she hadn’t been able to wrap her head around their friendship at first it made sense the moment she saw them interact. There was a level of trust and understanding she hadn’t seen between two people in a long while and the way there was no hesitation or lack of trust between the other. 

They also made a point of making sure she wasn’t excluded from the conversation, which she appreciated immensely. As the food came out and they ate and laughed she found herself the subject of conversation. 

“_______ when do you think you’ll showcase a new painting?” Jumin asked abruptly causing her to cough as she took a bite of her duck. 

Shaking her head no as she took a sip of her wine, she shrugged as she looked back down at her food. “I have no plans to show anything or submit anything in the upcoming months. I have classes to focus on this season,” she said as she cut her food. 

“Showcase?” V asked, prompting Jumin to respond. 

“One of the reasons that I had faith in ________’s business is the fact that she’s relatively well known in certain artistic circles, and had a great reputation before her store opened,” Jumin said to which _______ hesitantly nodded. 

“Guess the cat’s out of the bag,” she said with a laugh as she looked to V. “I opened by shop two and a half years ago, but for years before I was strictly an artist who just produced. Commissions, competitions, galleries, you name it I was a part of it,” she finished as she turned back to her food. 

V could tell something was going on there, but didn’t want to press the issue with Jumin there who just moved on to the next subject. He watched her as she seemed to regain her composure from the sudden question, and how she quickly finished her glass of wine while Jumin started talking about an upcoming rental in one of his family’s properties. She seemed a little off, as if she was deep in her head for a moment before she looked up, leaning on the table a bit with her chin in her hand as she smiled and continued listening in on the conversation. 

Something was behind that, he could immediately tell. He felt like maybe, just maybe, he understood what was behind that evasive answer. 

 

After a full 4 course meal and a couple of bottle of wines between the three of them, they stood outside of the restaurant and _________ was smiling at them widely, a slight flush on her face from the wine. 

“Thank you both, so so very much!” she exclaimed brightly as they just smiled at her. 

“You’re very welcome, _______,” Jumin said professionally, “You were most excellent company.” 

V simply nodded and ________ smiled gently at him for a moment before turning back to Jumin, “I’m glad I didn’t end up being a bother!” 

“You never are,” Jumin said with a faint smile that V once again took note of. He really hadn’t seen his friend look at anyone, especially a woman, like that. 

“Well good,” _______ said as she glanced down at her phone, “I don’t want to keep you much longer, but I want to thank you once more for the absolutely wonderful meal.” 

The two men gave their thanks again and watched as she started to walk off before V turned to Jumin and quickly said, “You were attentive to her during lunch.”

Jumin brushed aside the inquisitive tone of his friend’s question with a simple, “As you said, she’s our guest. I also can’t be rude to one of my tenants.” V couldn’t help but feel like there might have been more to his friend’s dismissive tone before Jumin spoke up again, “You should accompany her home, she’s definitely a little drunk and I know you noticed that since you were giving her smaller pours than you were for ourselves. You probably have already had this thought too.”

V found himself blushing after that comment and he couldn’t tell if it was from Jumin’s knowing look or from the bottles they had shared and looked at him over his glasses. “Jumin,” he warned before his friend started to walk away with a wave. 

“You should catch up, I know she’s nimble when it comes to getting through a crowd. I’ve seen her make her way up to the front of the bar with ease on even it’s busiest of nights,” he said as he pointed in the general direction she had gone in. 

Giving his friend a bit of a bashful look V turned on his heel and started heading in the direction that Jumin had pointed. As Jumin watched his friend’s back shrink in the distance he sighed and simply pulled out his phone and called a cab. He knew that V needed that push to go and put himself out there, he had seen the way he looked at her across the table during their meal. 

 

It only took V a few minutes to catch ________ just a block up. She was standing on the corner waiting for it to be her turn to cross the street and she looked just absolutely blissful. It was a completely unreserved smile not caring about who she saw, she was truly happy. He stood there a ways away, not wanting to disturb her, not wanting to possibly take that beautiful smile off of her face. 

His fear was realized for a moment when she turned his way and her face turned to one of surprise for a moment. For a second he felt like he had made the wrong choice but then a smile even more joyful from the first spread across her face and she wove eagerly at him.   
“V!” she exclaimed as she saw him out of the corner of her eye. He made his way to her side and gave her a grateful smile. 

“Hello again, ________,” he said as he walked up beside her. Her smile was contagious, an he felt a small one creep up on hi slips as he walked towards her. “I want to accompany you home, it would be rude to make you get back on your own,” he quickly explained. 

“Ah, I was just going to go and sober up in the park for a moment if you wanted to join. I’m not really ready to go back home quite yet,” she said as they walked back to the corner and began to cross the street. She noticed that he looked a little hesitant as they crossed the road and without thought she grabbed onto his hand and pointed straight ahead. “It’s just right there, come on!” she said with a smile as they hurried across the road. 

He just stared at his hand in her’s as they crossed the road, unable to explain the rush that he was feeling from such a simple action. When was the last time he had felt someone hold on to him so firmly? When was the last time he had been touched in general? 

Realizing that she was still holding on when they entered the park a minute later, _______ quickly dropped it and started to blush profusely, turning away from him as she stammered, “Um, let’s find a bench to rest on! Unless you’re ok with just sitting on the grass under a tree? I’m not picky, I-”

V had felt a weird twinge of emotion when she had dropped his hand, but he wanted to laugh when he saw how she reacted when she realized what she had done. Maybe she had meant nothing by it, but it had meant a lot to him. “Let’s sit on the grass, it’s such a nice day after all,” he said as he started to walk towards a tree, taking off his jacket and laying it out on the ground, gesturing for her to sit on it. 

“V, I couldn’t,” she started to which he shook his head, indicating he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She sat on one half and he joined her on the other, and they both sighed as they took in the view around them. 

“Do you come here often?” V asked and _______ immediately shook her head no. 

“Every so often, if I go to out to eat or shopping it’s usually closer to my house, you know, for budget purposes,” she smirked a little there, earning a smile from V as she continued, “I like coming to this part of town though, see how other people spend their time and money.”

“An odd habit,” V mused which made ________ shrug. 

“All the greats went out and experienced different worlds. It’s what made them great,” she said simply, throwing her hand up as if to punctuate the last word, continuing, “I’m lucky enough to make enough money off of my store to live comfortably, but I definitely do not have the funds to actively participate in this sort of lifestyle daily.”

“I guess I never really think about money,” V murmured, continuing as he was prodded on by ________’s questioning look, “Growing up I was very rich, you heard all about it at lunch. Money has never been an issue in my life, and I do make quite a bit as a tattoo artist. This is my natural habitat, so to speak.”

“It’s not a bad thing. Things are just presented different around here. It’s very different from our neighborhood though, the shops and everything, but I like our area more- it’s more homey,” she said as she leaned back on her hands, looking up at the tree. 

They fell silent as V took her in once again thoughts entirely consumed by the woman in front of him. He had been unwilling to let anyone get close to him in the past two years, but he wanted to bring her into his world. It was selfish, and he felt terrible, but she was such a comfort. 

“You never told me you were a highly regarded artist,” he said, cutting the amiable silence. 

Throwing her head back, she looked to him and smirked, “I wish Jumin hadn’t mentioned that.” Throwing herself forward and leaning on her elbows, she looked a little nostalgic as she turned to him with a soft smile. “You probably have questions.”

“We don’t have to talk about it,”

“V, it’ fine. I would have ended the conversation if I didn’t want to talk about it,” she said, holding her hand up to his lips to silence him. She dropped her hand back to her side and laughed, “So go on.”

V knew he was flustered, but he was also infinitely curious so he gently said, “I just want to know your backstory. I want to know who you are.”

In an instant _________ knew that she was blushing, feeling utterly charmed by those words before she slowly turned nostalgic again, slowly starting to explain. 

“Art was always my thing growing up, you know? When I was a kid I wanted to be an artist, I was constantly creating, drawing, getting in trouble in class for doodling instead of taking notes, but my family encouraged it. They enrolled me in any art class they could and they always made sure I had supplies of some kind and were my greatest supporters. I like most mediums, I mean, you saw me working with pastels and teaching charcoal, but I am really good at painting.”

Here V let out a small laugh which caused her to turn and narrow her eyes slightly.   
“Nothing wrong with saying I’m good. I take immense pride in my ability, I’ve worked hard for it. But I digress. Anyways, I went to several art schools, won several competitions over the years, and had a decent life producing art for others for years after graduating. That’s why I gave you advice about creating something that’s you instead of catering to every demand of your client- I had to learn that. Eventually I realized that I wanted to create something more, and that I wanted to encourage a new generation of artists.”

She pulled out her phone and slowly scrolled through her photos as she continued,

“Jumin was right, I used to put out a whole lot of work. Back then it all was for something other than my own enjoyment. There were always guidelines, themes, I spent so much time working on these projects that I felt stifled by it, and realized that I just wanted to paint what I liked again, like when I was a kid. So I simply said I was no longer taking requests and set up shop. I haven’t regretted it at all. I have a lot more unfinished work, but I also have the freedom to work on what I want. I’m not raking in cash anymore, and I spent a lot of my previous wealth on setting up, but I’m happier now.”

Handing him her phone, she sighed, “I got a little long winded there, but it felt nice to talk about it. I don’t try to hide it necessarily, but I don’t go boasting about it.”

He took her phone from her and adjusted his glasses as he gazed at the photo in front of him. It was an absolutely beautiful water color of a creek, absolutely crystalline and perfect, and he couldn’t help but gaze in wonder at it. She motioned as if to say he could swipe through and he kept moving from them. Watercolors, acrylics, oils, some ink, some pastels, some sketches, they were all so different and unique. He felt like he was seeing a whole new side of her. She was constantly evolving, constantly experimenting, and most of all it looked like she had fun. 

“I’m speechless,” he muttered, causing ________ to laugh. 

“These are some of my older works, from when I was learning. Keep swiping.”

As he did, he immediately noticed a shift in tone from her art. There was more structure, more portraits that were realistic, watercolors that seemed to follow every rule, and he immediately realized these were works she created for others. She was right that there were more paintings than not. 

“Now you’ve seen my ‘dark period’ so to speak. Totally different, yah?”

“Completely,” he said as he flipped between two photos, noticing a visible difference in her smile when she was standing next to her older paintings than when she was staring at the time during the supposed ‘height of success’. 

“And there’s more, if you’re still interested,” she said and he immediately flipped to them. 

Moreso than before, he was now in awe. Her work was constantly different, sometimes daring, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes practices, but it all appeared to come from her and her experiences alone. An abstract water color of a coffee shop, a messy sketch of everyone at the weekly happy hour, a funny little frog, it was all different and unique but whimsical or serious and it just felt like her. The other art from before was just the story of how she became the person she was, how she came to this moment and how she accepted every step of her life’s journey. 

“You’re fascinating, do you know that?” V said out of nowhere, causing his eyes to widen as _______ blinked, a little surprised by what he had just said. 

“Wow, uh, thank you,” she said, taking her phone out of his hand and throwing it back into her bag. “I’m sorry, I ended up really carried away there.”

“I’m honored you would let me learn so much about you,” he said with a smile as the two fell silent for a moment, both processing what had just happened. “I want to know more about you,” he whispered. 

At that moment a group of kids had run by chasing after a soccer ball and ________ didn’t hear what he had said. He felt a little relieved at that, not knowing what he would have done if she had heard. 

“You owe me a story about yourself now, V,” she said with a laugh that he could only softly smile at in return. She turned to him with a smile on her face but it slightly fell when she saw the sadness in his eyes and followed up with, “Only when you’re ready for it, of course.”

“Deal,” he said and he felt so calm staring at her smile, knowing that she wanted to get to know him too. 

She laid down on the ground and rested her head in her hands behind her head before she turned to him and smiled. “Alright, less invasive, still personal question for you though,” she stated and he watched on as the smile on her face turned a little more curious. Not knowing what to expect, he braced himself a little before she asked straightforwardly, “Is Le Jardin your favorite restaurant in the area?”

He could only laugh he was so delighted by her question and her slight whine of “Hey!” 

The rest of the afternoon was just like that, full of banter, fun small stories, and for the first time in awhile V felt free; free from racing thoughts, from immense doubts, from anything that threatened to tear him apart. 

It was just him and her, nothing else mattered for that afternoon.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a good weekend and __________ was determined to keep that momentum going through the week. 

On Sunday, after the most absolutely wonderful afternoon with V, she had gone to her store and immediately made way to her work corner, determined to take this positive energy and put it into something constructive. It was purely an exercise in fun, and after a few hours of painting without a real image in mind she stepped back to take in the entire canvas and realized she had just painted several different shades of turquoise, her palette covered with the various colors that she had mixed and threw onto the canvas not caring to be smooth or practiced. 

She dropped her head in her hands and groaned when she realized what she had unconsciously done. She had painted what inspired her, the only thing she could think of when she had been sitting on her stool, but she was too embarrassed to admit it. 

“Get yourself together, ________,” she muttered as she walked away from it, not wanting to even begin to unpack what she had been going for with that painting.

So Monday came around, and she found herself sitting outside her store with a chalkboard easel, designing a fun eye catching picture that would hopefully cause people to stop and at least spend the time to check out the name of the shop. She didn’t want to lie though, she had the itch to create and had to get it out in any way that she could. Looking down at the chalk besides her, she picked up the blue and was about to draw some flowers before she heard a now familiar voice perk up to her left. 

“_______!” Yoosung called out and she looked up from her stoop to be greeted by an absolutely wide smile. 

“Morning Yoosung,” she said as she waved a chalk covered hand at him. 

“Um, I stopped by Jaehee’s to grab some coffee, and she asked me to bring you this. She said to tell you she’s busy and can’t stop by today,” he said as he nervously handed her a latte.

“Oh wow! Thanks!” she said with a wide smile as she took it from him, gesturing for him to join her on her perch on the windowsill which he eagerly did. Taking a sip, she looked to the blonde and asked, “So how was your weekend?”

Yoosung almost seemed like he wasn’t prepared, like he hadn’t expected her to ask him to join, and after a almost too-long pause he stammered out, “Oh! It was good. I’m jealous of you though!”

______ looked at him with a quizzical look, a simple, “What?” falling from her lips.   
“About going to lunch with Jumin and V- you’re so lucky! They go out to the nicest places!” 

________ laughed as Yoosung gestured widely, not even trying to hide how he was feeling behind coded words. They were endearing, his constantly changing expressions. “I got very lucky, that’s all it was. Right place, right time sort of deal.”

“V said they found you outside of that department store, you know, the one where you can’t even find something affordable on their clearance rack. What were you doing over there?”

______ shrugged, simply responding, “Window shopping,” as she turned her attention back to the chalkboard in front of her. 

“Still, I’m jealous. I bet the food was soooooo good,” he said in almost a whine. 

She just laughed, writing down the hours she was open with a flourish. “It was,” she said with a small smirk and smiled even wider when Yoosung began to pout. As she went back to her coffee, she looked over to Yoosung and asked, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Umm, sure!” he slightly stuttered as he stared at her. 

“How long have you known Jumin and V?”

Yoosung tilted his head back, as if he was trying to calculate the numbers in his head before humming, “Umm maybe four, four and a half? I was still in high school and they were already out there in the world- V had his business, and Jumin was already working for his dad as a property manager.”

“Interesting, how did you even meet?” She asked, leaning forward on her knees a little. 

While she was expecting his usual chatter he simply said, “A friend,” as he stared down at the coffee in his hands. His brow slightly knitted and ________ immediately knew that she had hit a sore spot. 

“Ah, that’s usually how it goes,” she said immediately, trying to brush by that as she asked another question, “So you’ve always wanted to become a tattoo artist?”

Yoosung perked up a little here, shaking his head. “Nooooooo not at all. My parents are still surprised and are convinced that this isn’t what I’m gong to do with my life. Maybe I won’t either, but it’s what makes me happy and what I want to do for now.”

“It seems like you’re still learning? Or at least, V still is training you?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious huh?” he sighed which caused _______ to let out a small giggle. 

“I mean, you just graduated from college, I can’t imagine you’ve been doing this for long,” she shrugged. 

“He was starting to prep me during school, I was constantly getting quizzed on terminology, he was making me sketch out ideas at least once a week... all on top of my actual school work!” he sighed. 

“What did you major in? It sounds like it must have been different from what you’re doing now.”

“Veterinary Sciences,” Yoosung confidently stated and _______ rose her eyebrows in surprise. “I caught that you know,” Yoosung said with a laugh as he continued, “My job and my major are totally different things, but V has always said to do what makes me happy. This is what makes me happy.”

_______ silently took in what he said for a moment before speaking. “Eh, there is no one true way to happiness.”

Yoosung quickly turned to her, eyes a little wide at that. “What?”

“Oh, you know, everyone has their own version of happiness. Your parent’s think it’s a steady job, you think it’s being a tattoo artist, and I think it’s running my shop. You can’t force someone into your vision of happiness, they have to find it on their own, you know?”

She looked over, not knowing what to expect, but the serious expression on his face was the last thing she had expected. He turned away when she went to explain herself, but he shook his head, looking down at his coffee with the same serious expression before saying, “You’re right.”

_______ nodded, saying quietly, “I’m glad you understand. I was afraid that I might have scared you for a moment.”

Yoosung gave a lopsided smile to that and went to say something before a loud voice cut through and the two of them looked up to see the Choi twins standing before them.

“Ah Shooting Star Yoosung! And our dear _______, what are you two doing this morning?” Saeyoung yelled out, his usual Cheshire grin on his face. Saeran stood besides him simply and nodded at the others, a quiet “Good morning,” nearly drowned out by Saeyoung’s next declaration. “

“Saeyoung! Saeran! Hi!” ________ said with a smile while Yoosung spat out a quick ‘hello’ of his own. 

“You guys look chipper, wish I could have some of Jaehee’s famous brew!” Saeyoung continued, earning a roll of the eyes from Saeran. 

“Our store is right across the street, you can go over any time you want,” he said as Saeyoung just laughed. 

“Deliveries?” ________ asked, once again knowing how this conversation could go and trying to steer it away from one of the infamous “Choi Spats”, also known as Saeyoung being himself and Saeran being tired of it. 

Saeyoung nodded rapidly as Saeran nodded once before saying, “Yup! They’re close by though but Saeran is forcing me to go! Save me Yoosung!”

Yoosung was visibly taken aback by Saeyoung crying out for him and Saeran once again looked a little annoyed by Saeyoung’s attitude, but he had a small smile to his face. To an outsider, like Yoosung, you would think these two hated each other- they were just so different. But _______ had known them for years now and knew that they were closer than anyone else that she knew. The siblings had hinted once to her that they needed to stick together while growing up in order to survive their household, and after that _______ had been able to decipher their actual feuds to the minor annoyances. 

“How many today, Saeran?” she asked, leaving Saeyoung to tease Yoosung as she looked to the florist himself. 

“4, all of them are within half a mile though, so there’s no reason for him to be complaining as much as he is,” he said, tossing his head towards his brother. 

“Ah, I’m glad you don’t have to go to as many places,” she said with a smile. 

“Thanks, but we still should head out now,” he said to her at first before turning to his twin and addressing him. Looking back to ______, he juggled the flowers he was carrying and held out a small bouquet to her. “For you,” he said, dropping his voice, and she stood up with an excited smile on her face. 

“Really? This is amazing, I love gardenias!!” She said as she accepted them and he simply smiled in response, staring at the wide smile on her face. “I love them! Thank you so much Saeran!” she said as she gave him a quick side hug, being careful not to bump the flowers in his other arm. 

“You’re welcome, ________,” he said before turning to his brother who had been busy the entire time messing with Yoosung and jerking his thumb over his shoulder, “Time to go, Saeyoung.”

Saeyoung let out a drawn out, “Ughhhhhhhhh,” before standing up from his seat next to Yoosung and giving a large wave to him and _______. Walking away, he called out to Saeran and called him “slow” which Saeran just groaned at before turning to Yoosung and ________. 

“Goodbye, I hope you both have good days,” he said politely before walking off. 

_______ gave a small wave before turning her head to Yoosung as he heard him gasp, “Where’d you get those flowers?”

“Oh, I guess Saeran got some gardenias in stock? I once told him they were one of my favorite flowers, and I guess he remembered so he brought me some!” She said as she held the bouquet happily to her chest. 

“Wow, flowers,” Yoosung said and _______ wasn’t able to determine what he had meant by that but shrugged it off. 

“Want to smell them? They’re famous for their scent,” she asked as she held them out and she couldn’t help but giggle at how tentative Yoosung was as he leaned in before he looked back up at her, smile wide. 

“You’re right, they smell really nice.” 

“I’ll have to figure out where to keep these,” _______ mused as she set them on her lap and picked her coffee back up. “What do you have planned for today?” she asked Yoosung as she took a sip of her drink. 

“V has a 4 hour session booked today so I will assist with that, and then we’ll probably review some “assignments” he gave me over the weekend after that depending on how he feels,” Yoosung said as he looked down at his watch and sighed, “And I should probably head over to start setting up for him, this is gonna be a long day.”

As he stood up ________ gave a small wave before holding out her coffee towards him, “Good luck with today! Thanks for bringing the coffee over!”

She could have sworn that Yoosung had begun to blush before blurting out a quick “Bye” and marching to the studio, but she shrugged it off, immediately looking back down at the bouquet in her lap and arranging the flowers delicately. Standing up, she arranged the board so it stood out and grabbed the eye and went back in, feeling energized after a great weekend and a surprisingly warm morning. 

 

“Auughhhhh!” Yoosung groaned as the door to the shop closed behind him. Walking to his desk to put his bag down behind it, he was running through every moment from the morning as he slid it off his shoulder. When he walked up to see ________ sitting outside, focused on her quick doodle, when they started talking, when the Chois had shown up, he was going through it all, and was about to run through it again when he heard a slightly disappointed sigh. 

“V!” he cried out, looking over to see his boss walk out of the back of the shop. 

“Did you forget that we were opening up earlier today?” V said as he rolled his sleeves up his forearms. 

“I’m still early,” Yoosung said defensively and continued, “Your version of early is everyone else’s on time. This is an anomaly.”

V gave a lopsided smile to that before he pointed to the coffe in Yoosung’s hand and joked, “You stopped to get coffee and didn’t even bring me any. How rude.”

Yoosung stopped himself from rolling his eyes as he put it on the front desk. “I stopped by and got some for me, and then decided to bring some to _______, ok? But then I got to her and I just panicked, and I told her that Jaehee wanted me to give it to her!” he said, getting more flustered the quicker he spoke. 

V had been wiping his hands on a towel listening to Yoosung ramble, but when he mentioned that he had been outside with ________ he stopped. “You brought ______ coffee?” he asked, surprised that Yoosung would take the initiative to do so. 

“Well yah,” Yoosung began to explain, “She’s been so kind to us since we moved in, and she’s so welcoming, I just wanted to do something nice for her!” He didn’t notice how V had turned away to look out the window, a blank look on his face when he continued, “But then Saeran came by and gave her a bouquet and now I wish I had said the coffee was from me!”

“Saeran?” V asked, unfamiliar with that name. 

“Oh yah, the Choi twins, Saeran is the florist down the street and his brother Saeyoung assists or does whatever he’s told or who knows what. He gave her a bouquet of gardenias, and apparently she loves them and she seemed so excited by them,” he said with another sigh, walking past V and back to the bathroom to wash his hands and prep for the day. 

V continued to stand at the window, almost tempted to leave the shop for a few moments and run next door to just say “hello”, to just have him be the last person she saw before she opened up, and once again the guilt crept in and he looked down to realize he was twisting the tough in his hands tightly. Unraveling it and letting it fall to his side, he started to walk back to prep when a long forgotten memory creeped into his thoughts. 

 

“If I may ask, why a gardenia?” V said as he looked at his client, a young man of 19 with the most serious look on his face. 

“I love someone so much it’s maddening, but I don’t know what to do about it. I’m not her usual type but she likes grand gestures, so I think she’d love this.”

“Is there any special reason for a gardenia though?” V asked curiously. 

“It means ‘I think you’re charming’, or ‘a secret love’,” the kid said, a longing look in his eyes as he looked up at V. 

V fell silent for a moment before calmly saying, “And if it doesn’t work?”

The kid’s eyes slowly squinted as he said to V with conviction, “Even if it doesn’t work, I want a reminder that I have loved someone so passionately. That someone has left such a mark on me.”

 

Snapping back to reality, he paused in the doorway. 

With a shaky hand he lightly brushed his fingertips on the muscle covering the heart.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Hello _________, this is V. How was the rest of your weekend?_**  
Sent

He placed his phone down and walked away from it, almost embarrassed that he finally decided to text her after hearing about Yoosung’s initiative to get closer. He had finished his first session in years, and while the customer had gushed about how much they loved it he had been wholly unsatisfied. Telling Yoosung he did good work and could take off earlier that day, he sat in the back of his workshop and sent that text before he realized what he was doing and then walked off, determined to get away from it. 

Thirty minutes went by and he hadn’t looked at his phone, forcing himself to focus on cleaning up even more than he and Yoosung had done a short time before. Precision was needed when handling equipment that totaled to thousands of dollars, and he couldn’t afford to have his thoughts wander as he sterilized and wiped down everything. 

2 hours had gone by and V was now sitting in his studio, staring at his plants as if those would bring some inspiration to him. It was nearing closing hours for everyone else, but he didn’t feel like going home just yet. This space was his own, nothing was influenced by anything else and he at least could feel comfortable there. He lifted his glasses and rubs his eyes before he felt the table vibrate. 

Three texts came in in rapid succession. 

**V! Thought you had lost my number!  
Haha just kidding. Sorry for not responding earlier, had a few classes today.   
The rest of my weekend was good! Got to work on a small project. How was yours?**

He smiled down at the texts, hearing them in her voice as if she was standing there besides him and answering in person. “How strange,” he thought as he looked down at her name in his phone, “that a simple text from someone would make me feel so calm.”

**_It was relaxing, I should thank you for starting it off on that note._ **

Before he could put his phone in his pocket he saw the text bubbles pop up indicating she was already responding, and a text quickly came through. 

**No, I should be thanking you! It was a really nice Saturday, which made Sunday and even this Monday more enjoyable.**

He couldn’t believe that Yoosung’s simple action would make him do this, to finally pull out the business card he kept in his wallet since she had given it to him and send a text, but he wasn’t upset with his decision. Confused, yes, but seeing her words on the screen brought a distinct comfort to him. 

**_Well I’m glad to hear it._ **

Yes, he was very glad. 

 

**Any plans for the weekend?**

It was a rather quiet Thursday in her shop, and she was feeling a little bored by the lack of customers that had been coming in. Sitting behind the register on her stool, she had absentmindedly texted V, wondering what he was up to. 

They had been texting over the past few days since he first texted her, a few texts there in the morning, a couple before they went to bed in the evening, and she had grown fond of their little ritual. She was used to the cacophony of the various neighborhood group chats she was in so it was nice to be one on one with someone who was so calm. _________ didn’t want to admit it, but his usual “Good Morning” text to her was the best way to start her day, and it had only started happening on Tuesday. 

“Get a grip!” she said aloud as she slapped her hands to her cheeks, eyes immediately flicking to her phone when she saw the screen light up. 

“V” with an emoji of a fountain pen popped up, and she immediately reached over and swiped to open her phone.   
**_I was thinking of working on a new design a bit more, but other than that nothing.  
What about you?_**

**I have 2 classes on Saturday, and then that night I’m hosting a “Wine and Paint” night at Messenger.  
To be honest, those are usually fun. **

**_Wine and paint?_ **

**Basically I teach a large group of people a fun little painting painting that they can work on while drinking wine and eating snacks.  
It’s a collab between me and the owner of the bar.   
We split each head 50/50 and help each other with set up, prep, and breakdown, and we get to have a fun little evening once a month with some giggling housewives. **

**_Sounds completely like anything I’ve heard of.  
Actually sounds really impressive. _ **

**They’re getting more and more popular.  
And thanks! I get to be a little more candid with the people there and it’s a fun way to let off a little steam. **

**_I wish I could see you in action, it must be a sight to behold._ **

**You should come!**

There was a long pause, longer than she would have liked, and she distracted herself by arranging the pens on the counter before she glanced at her phone when it lit up in in the corner of her eye. 

She smiled widely at the response.

**_I would love to._ **

A few more texts back and forth and the information was exchanged, and the two said good bye, both saying they were excited for the event. 

As she put her phone down, ________ laughed at herself. It had felt so natural to invite him and he had said he’d “love to” and she was now standing in her empty shop beaming. Even if it felt natural it was still a risk but she was now so glad that she had taken the jump. 

And she was so very happy that he wanted to go. 

 

**_Alright, I’ll be there 15 minutes before the scheduled start._ **

**No, no! Please come at the start- I want you to have the full experience!**

________ read her text over and over as she started preparing for the evening late that afternoon after her day classes. She was being truthful, she really did want him to come in as if he was just another attendee, but there had been an ulterior motive behind it. 

She was absolutely nervous about him being in the crowd, of a talented and famous artist like himself in essentially a ‘paint by numbers’ course. Asking him to arrive as just a guest allowed her to be focused on that entirely, as opposed to the chance happenstance of her becoming incredibly nervous around him and messing up her quote on quote ‘performance’. These events never made him nervous, but knowing that he would be watching her teach for the first time nearly had her eating an entire bag of potato chips in the name of self care. With a final look in the mirror, she gave a single nod and grabbed her large bag, immediately beginning to run through the course of the evening in her head. 

She still had to be perfect for her guests. She had to. 

**_If you’re so insistent.  
I’ll see you then._ **

She read the last text from him over and over and took a deep breath as she was on the bus towards her store. Who knew putting yourself out there would be so exhausting?

Thirty minutes later she was running over the stations for each person, ensuring that the pre-filled wine glasses were equal, and that she had a wristband for each person, along with a stamp for her and Sei, the owner of the bar, to track how much each person had to drink. They had the entire act down pat, and while he fixed food and she checked each table for the right amount of brushes they were just running through their usual script of sorts in their head. 

The opening of the door took both of themselves out of their thoughts, but it was ________ who gasped in a mix of delight and nerves upon seeing who entered and declared, “V! You’re early!”

Letting the door close behind him, he slowly walked towards her with a small smile on his face. As he approached her, he said, “I know, ________, and I apologize for showing up early even though you asked me not too.”

Stepping to her side, he looked around the place in wonder before turning back to her with a smile meant just for her. Voice dropping, she held her breath as he said softly, “But you see, I was just so excited.”


	12. Chapter 12

“Alright ladies, gentlemen, and nb’s, it’s time to get started! Thank you all for arriving on time, you have made it so much easier for me and I can run down the rules. I see some regulars- thanks for coming back- but I don’t recognized a good amount so here’s the breakdown. For the first 10 minutes you can all claim your easels and then come up to the bar. Sei, our most wonderful host, has prepared a wonderful selection of wines for you all, but remember- three drink max, we all want to get home safely tonight. And as always,” here she pointed to three older ladies already sitting at some easels with their wine who immediately shouted along with her, “We reserve the right to cut you off!”

“Yes ladies, thank you! Knew I could count on you,” ________ said with a smile as she turned back to the laughing crowd. “Tonight in honor of this beautiful summer we will be painting a beach at sunset. I have a finished example at the front but I will be guiding you step by step this evening and walking around to give advice or answer any questions you might have. For now, set down your bags, grab a glass and some snacks and get excited!”

V stood near the back of the crowd, a smile spreading across his face as he watched _______ turn it on and becoming even more charming than she usually was. She had acted frustrated when he showed up earlier, but after a few seconds of that she had brightened up and introduced him to Sei who he immediately got along with, leaving the two of them to bond over wine as she finished setting up. At 7 the first guests started rolling in and she had excused herself to go and get everyone ready for the evening. Now watching her, he knew why there was such a large crowd, and several regulars. 

She was magnetic. 

A loud shout of, “We want the handsome man in the back to join us, _______! He looks like he’s alone!” drew him out of his thoughts and he looked up, wondering just what had happened. 

He looked up to see the three women from before smiling wide and him and _______ smiling behind them, trying to hide her laughter behind her hand. She calmed herself down before lifting her arm and waving V over. “V! These ladies want to show you the ropes, and I guarantee you won’t find a better group!” she said with a wide smile and he was unnerved by the gleam in her eyes. He hadn’t expected to interact with anyone besides her, but seeing the women in their late 60’s early 70’s and how they were smiling at him as he walked over, he knew it wouldn’t be the worst thing possible. She would have defended him if not, right?

As he walked up _______ smiled at him gently as she turned to the women with a sarcastically authoritative look, “Alright now ladies, don’t be too intimidating. V’s my guest tonight and he’s rather shy.” She threw a wink his way and he swore his breath caught in his throat but a chorus of laughs brought him back to reality. 

“Oh don’t worry dear! We’ll take good care of him!” The one who appeared to be the ringleader said with a laugh. 

________ nodded and quickly walked to the bar, whispering to Sei who smirked and poured a larger than usual glass for her. Taking it in her hands, she casually walked by V and placed it next to him, picking up the empty glass he had besides him and walking back to the bar before dropping it off. She pulled an apron over the dress she wore and with a clap of her hands the room turned their attention to her. “Alright! Let’s get to painting!”

Another chorus of applause and she immediately was up at the front, going over the painting that they would be trying to copy for the night, joking about her ‘inspiration’ and getting the crowd to nod with her on her sly jokes about work life. 

“I’m Min Jeu, this is Soo Yun, and this is Haenul,” the women who asked for him to join them quickly said, introducing the rest of the group who were all in a line, moving over to put him in the middle. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ladies,” he said with a smile as he sat down and grabbed his wine glass. 

Without missing a beat, Haenul smiled mischievously and asked, “So how do you know our _______?”

He paused, a little nervous at how they all looked at him with wide eyes before quickly answering, “I actually own the tattoo studio right next door to _______.”

He braced himself, ready for some sort of pushback due to his career but he was immensely surprised when Soo Yun burst out, “Oh, how exciting! Do you have any we can see?”

He laughed, a little overwhelmed by the attention to him, but not necessarily uncomfortably. When he looked up, he saw _______ staring at him, standing at the easel with a small smile before she picked up her glass and turned to the room. Raising it in the air, she gave a swift, “To Paint Night!”

“To Paint Night!” the crowd cheered before they went to pick up the brushes and start working on the first base of the painting. 

Throughout the evening _______ would walk around, asking people if they wanted another glass, giving some advice to people who were looking at their paining with concern, and making everyone laugh with her overall positive and carefree attitude. It emboldened him.

“How long have you ladies been coming to these?” V asked after his second glass of wine, finding their company to actually be amusing beyond belief after listening in to the jokes they tossed _______’s way and how she was able to throw them back to everyone else’s delight. 

“Oh we’ve been going to these since they began a year ago, but we’ve known ______ much longer!” Haneul said as she made a grand flourish and added some red to her sunset. “We were friends with the lady who used to own your store, and she sent us over to ______’s store when we complained about our grandchildren being too interested in video games.”

Soo Yun nodded, continuing, “_______ had only been open a month, but she was absolutely charming and helped us figure out the best things for the children based on their interests. My grandson actually loves building models with clay and it’s all because she said that would probably be the best activity for him.”

Min Jeu chimed in, “And my granddaughter now attends her classes!”

“We’ve been shopping there ever since, and we’ve seen her grow so much, it’s been a delight. When she mentioned she was starting this event we were onboard. It’s so much fun to see her in her element,” Haneul added.

“Oh gosh, do you remember how stiff she was at the start though? You could definitely tell she was new when it came to running her store in the beginning. People would ask her all sorts of questions and she had to learn how to communicate clearly and you know, for beginners. She was always so nice, but you could tell that she was an expert and it was intimidating- especially since she was so young,” Min Jeu laughed as she dipped her brush in the glass of water besides her.

“I’m so glad we know the real ________ now though,” Haneul quietly said. 

“Oh gosh, remember when we first went in? She was so professional, but you could tell she really cared. It took her only a few months to become a fixture in the neighborhood, one that’s 100% necessary.” Soo Yun laughed. 

“Gosh, remember how composed she was that first time?” Haneul teased.

“You would have thought we were fine art collectors the way she talked to us! It’s funny to see how calm she’s become over the years, and frankly, how much happier she is. I mean, look at her! The crowd loves her,” Min Jeu smiled.

“You’re lucky to have met her, V,” Soo Yun said with a small smile. “There’s something special about her. She doesn’t give up, no matter how tough things get, and she doesn’t let others belittle themselves.”

V looked up and over to ________ and smiled softly her way as she got the crowd laughing at a joke she had made while walking through how to paint the foam on the wave. Turning back to the ladies he said, “You’re right. I am.”

“Ohhhhhh! How cute!” Haneul yelled out immediately causing V to blush and in an instant _______ was standing next to them, faking a disappointed sigh while carrying a tray.

“Now ladies, what did I tell you about teasing V?”

“Oh that wasn’t teasing ________! We’re just flirting with a handsome man, nothing wrong with that.”

________ laughed brightly as she lowered the tray to them and started to hand them each a new glass of wine, taking the empty one as she circled the group. “I think I know you three well enough to know when you’re teasing someone, but I’ll trust you,” she said as she turned to V and handed him the last glass. Taking a look at his painting she smiled fondly at it before turning back to him, “Should have known you would be the best student of the group.”

“How rude _______!” Min Jeu called out which caused her to laugh again, turning to the ladies and throwing them a wink. 

“I didn’t say he was my favorite.”

V blushed at the smile she gave him after and it deepened with the soft squeeze of his shoulder. Mouthing, “You got this,” to him she walked off, his gaze trailing after her, unable to take his eyes off. 

He was too busy watching her walk off that he didn’t notice the grins and knowing looks the women were sharing with each other. As he still watched her, Soo Yun asked V with a sly grin, “She’s cute, isn’t she?”

“Ladies, you’ve put me in an unfair position. How could I say she isn’t?” he said with a smile to the ladies who all went “Ooooh!” before he turned back to his painting. He was a bit shocked by his boldness, but it was true, she was “cute”. He didn’t know if that was the word for her though. She was charming, captivating, laissez-faire, bewitching; so many other words fit better than “cute”. Everyone had nothing but good things to say about her. In fact, no one seemed to have anything bad to say about her. She was bright, commanding, kind, empathetic. 

She was everything to the people around her. 

And he?  
He was nothing. 

And he shouldn’t have been thinking of her as often as he was, and his gaze shouldn’t have been drifting towards her figure wherever she was in the room like it was.

But watching her work was as amazing as he had envisioned, even more so in fact. She really was inspiring whether giving everyone encouragement or twisting a self deprecating comment by someone into a joke. She really did care and wanted people to not take themselves too seriously, and though she might not have realized it, she had already created a community like the one she dreamed of.

The rest of the night was spent with his three new friends who spent the whole time teasing and humorously flirting with him while ________ floated around before the night had come to a close. As the crowd rolled out, faces aching from smiling and some fun new art for their homes in their arms the three ladies made V bend over and each gave him a kiss on the cheek as they laughed off into the night. Closing the door behind them, _______ turned to V with a wide smile, walking over and raising her arms in celebration. “That was such a good night!” She said happily.

“You were lovely as always, ________,” Sei said as he started picking up the wine glasses left at the stations. 

“Thanks Sei, your menu for tonight was perfect,” she said back as she turned to V, placing her hands on her hips. “I really want to thank you for coming V, and for putting up with my girls. They can be a handful, and I was a little nervous when they asked you to join them, but you handled them so well.”

“It was actually the best thing that could have happened, if not I would have been sitting by myself. They made me promise I would be here next month too,” he said with a soft smile. 

“Ah, and here I was about to invite you to the next one. Looks like they beat me,” she said with a smile as she started gathering up the paint brushes and cups of dirty water. V started to grab the glasses from the other side of the table and when she went to stop him he shook his head, causing her to nod once and continue.

They worked in silence for a few more minutes, bringing the glasses and over to Sei who started cleaning them while running the brushes under the water trying to rinse them clean. The two of them danced around each other as they tore down and Sei watched with a careful eye, smiling at the scene before him. There was a stilted awkwardness to the way they moved, the way they both looked away when they said “excuse me” and he knew that he had never seen _______ more distracted in his life. The ladies laughed at him? She was over to check and see how he was. His glass was low? She was bringing him more, even sneaking in a 4th glass. 

Sei hadn’t been a bartender for 30 years for nothing; he knew that ________ was being a extra attentive to a new face in the crowd.

He couldn’t help but smile fondly as he watched them help each other.

The three of them working together made the job go by a lot quicker than usual, and when they finished up a full 30 minutes more than usual _______ grinned and turned to V, “Thanks! We could have never done it this fast without you V!”

V smiled, although flustered by the praise, and made a move to help her carry her supplies back to her store when Sei called out to them. “V, stay a moment, let me give you a bottle of wine for you and ________ to split, since she didn’t get to drink much this evening.”

“And make me put away all this junk on my own?” _______ called out, hand on her hip as if she was put out.

“You’ve done it by yourself 11 times before,” Sei said with a slight smirk that made ________ roll her eyes exaggeratedly and go to open the door. 

“Make sure you get us a good wine, V,” she said as she smiled and wove ‘goodbye’.

When the door shut behind her Sei turned to V and smiled before pulling out two glasses and scanning the wine rack behind him. V sat across from him at the bar and watched the man as he pulled out different bottles and compared them before finally settling on one and turning around, holding it out to V. “I think this would be perfect this evening.”

V reached out and took it, taking in the light pink color of the rosé he had been handed, a little curious as to why the bartender had given him this to drink as opposed to the strong reds he had been drinking that evening. “Thank you, Sei,” he said simply as he nodded in thanks to his new friend.

As V walked out and crossed the street towards _______’s shop Sei put his hands on his hips and chuckled. “Good luck, V,” he said to the closed door. 

 

“Oh gosh! Sei told you I like rosé didn’t he!” _________ declared when she saw the bottle in his hand a few minutes later, her easels already in the storage room. 

“I promise you he really didn’t _______,” V said as he opened the bottle and poured two glasses, although he wasn’t going to forget that piece of information.

_________ picked up a glass and slowly smiled at it, saying, “People like to tease me for it. I guess it’s low hanging fruit since it’s pink and sweet and easy to drink. And no, I didn’t intend to make a pun.”

He let up an unexpected laugh as he brought his glass up, smiling at the slight narrowing of her eyes as she said the last part. “People just like to seem important,” he said as he leaned onto the counter that she stood behind, drawing a raised eyebrow from _______. 

“Says the guy who told me he only drinks reds?” 

“I said prefers, never only.”

The two broke out into a laugh and ______ turned the bottle to her, reading the label and a smile breaking out on her face as she scanned over it. 

“Yes?”

“Ah, this is just produced in Provence, France! I love that area so much, not just for the wine,” she said as she now held the bottle in her hand, her gaze lingering upon the name of the winery. 

V leaned towards her a little more, eyes narrowing as he asked, “Really?”

“You seem surprised by this?” She said with her own narrowed eyes suspiciously before she broke out into a laugh, grabbing the bottle and her glass as she bounded over to the stairs. She turned back towards V, smiling, “C’mon, we can sit on the sofa.”

“Sofa?” he asked as he followed her without needing any prompting. 

“Yah, it’s a much better spot for me to school you on French history and that region’s impact on the arts,” she said as she turned around and stopped halfway up the stairwell. V stopped at the base and when he looked up at her he took a deep breath at the sight. Hair slightly messed up. Bare feet, her shoes kicked off. A smile that spread from ear to ear but was gentle and warm. She was loveliness reincarnated as she stood there, the light of the second floor her own backlight as she laughed and smiled down at the him. 

As her laughter died out she turned around and finished climbing the stairs and V started taking each step just a step faster. He wanted to catch up to her, to ask her everything she knew and why she cared so much about Southern France and to hear her explanations and reasons for why. 

The ladies were right when they had said she was something special, and Sei was right to suggest that this bottle was perfect for the evening.


	13. Chapter 13

Yoosung had been cleaning like a maniac for the past two hours. His desk and the front room, the shared lounge for him and V, the room where they took in clients, he was even sweeping the sidewalk in the front and washing the windows! V had no idea what had come over him, and he just stood in the front room watching him after the client who had requested the palm frond and him had their final review of the tattoo’s design left. He had only made a casual remark that they should probably spend some time really cleaning the place since they were going to be doing their first tattoo the next week and Yoosung had taken that to heart.

“It’s just easier if we start now and do another round of cleaning the day before instead of stressing out about it,” he had said, shocking his boss with his maturity before he immediately started scrubbing down.

Walking back in with the broom and a bucket of soapy water and a squeegee he sighed before he walked to the bathroom to dump it and V followed after him when he moved into the lounge they both could rest in.

“Where did you get that?” he asked, pointing to the squeegee, looking over the top of his glasses in confusion.

“Oh I went next door and asked _______ if she had anything to clean windows. She luckily had this, made the job a lot easier!” Yoosung responded brightly as he dropped the bucket on the ground and sat at the table they had set up. “We should probably invest in one,” he muttered as he looked at the tools in hand.

“I’m surprised you took this on with such enthusiasm,” V admitted.

“Oh well, we didn’t have anything left for today, and I’d rather get it done now I guess,” Yoosung shrugged, “I’m also just killing time until happy hour.”

V nodded, realizing that it was Thursday. “You really enjoy those, don’t you?”

Yoosung immediately brightened up and started nodding, “Yeah! Everyone is really nice.” Taking a moment to count on his fingers he continued, “This will be my fourth one. It’s just nice to have something to do other than go home and game.” Turning to V, he exclaimed, “You should come!”

“Your fourth one?” V asked and Yoosung nodded.

“Yah, we’ve been here almost a month, V.”

V stood there and counted out the days himself before he nodded, obvious surprise on his face. “Wow, you’re right,” he muttered and Yoosung just looked at him with a tilted head.

“Did you not realize?” Yoosung asked and V shook his head causing Yoosung to laugh.

“Wow, time flies,” V mused as Yoosung laughed.

“I’m really happy that Jumin offered you this space, and that it was pretty much set up to your specifications. I was excited to start,” Yoosung said with a smile.

“Yes, definitely thankful that the storage closets and former dressing rooms were large,” V said as he looked around the room.

“Well, the neighborhood is great, I feel like Jumin knew this was the perfect spot for us,” Yoosung said as his eyes followed V’s. “I really am grateful for Jumin to be honest, I sometimes wonder if he suggested this place to us because of the people, not the location you know?”

“Hmm?” V asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s just that everyone we’ve met has been so kind to us the entire time. I’ve never felt excluded, well, except when they talk about old memories of course, but they’re all so welcoming. I feel like I’ve found friends, and even though it’s been barely a month I feel like they would say the same about me. Seven even wants to hang out and play LOLOL together sometime, and it’s nice to do that with someone other than the people I know online.”

“I’m glad you’ve found that Yoosung, truly,” V said with a soft smile to him that Yoosung didn’t see since he nodded, looking at the table.

“It’s been rough, you know?” Yoosung said out of nowhere.

V immediately stiffened at that before he nodded and said through a forced grin. “It has been, but you really have grown this past month.” It was true, he hadn’t seen Yoosung so vibrant in a long while. His smile was wide, his eyes bright and the tone of his voice energetic and excited. It was a nice change, and V couldn’t help but be happy to see that he was doing well, but he couldn’t help but blame himself for the state Yoosung was in.

The room fell silent for a minute, both lost in their thoughts before Yoosung stood up and grabbed the bucket and started to move to the door. Standing in the doorway, he stopped and turned to V abruptly.

“I think she would have really liked it here.”

V looked over just as fast and the two stared at each other blankly for a moment before Yoosung turned on his heel and held a hand up, a short ‘bye’ muttered as he walked out and V heard the door close behind him.

V continued to sit at the table, dropping his face in his hands as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Standing up, he walked over to his private room and ran his eyes across his desk to a photo frame, the image hidden by the glare from the light of the room.

“He’s right, you would have liked this place, wouldn’t you?” he asked to it, his arms crossed as he stared at it from a distance. “Why though, why would have liked it? What reason would you have given me?” he asked again to the empty room, as if he was expecting an answer. 

He knew he would never get one.


	14. Chapter 14

“Umm... good work today V.”

Silence.

“The customer was really happy with the piece, and I’m happy we were able to get it done in one session!” 

A single nod. 

“Do you want me to run and grab dinner or something?”

A violent shake of the head. 

“We could go and get a drink, to celebrate?”

Finally V turned to Yoosung and shook his head again. “Good work, go home and enjoy your night,” he said monotonously, still sitting at his desk as he dismissed the younger man. 

Yoosung stood there quietly before nodding, unsure of what to say, to do, to make V get away from the studio. He thought the session had gone well, they were able to get the entire tattoo complete in around 6 hours, the client entirely willing and eager to stay there the entire time with minimal breaks. V had been focused but still able to converse with the client and keep them enthusiastic through the process and Yoosung had felt like he was seeing the V from before his hiatus. At the end of the session the client had gushed and praised V and while he smiled and accepted the compliments the second they were out the door he had turned quiet and taciturn, immediately retreating to his studio and leaving Yoosung to clean up. 

It had been an hour and Yoosung couldn’t get V to say more than a few words. He continued to sit at his desk just staring at the sketchpad before him, eyes sullen and downcast and despite his best efforts Yoosung hadn’t been able to do anything to get him to move. When he had retreated Yoosung spent the time to painstakingly clean the room, believing that after being left alone for awhile that V would have perked up. He knew that it was stressful, going back to this after being away for so long but he hadn’t expected him to completely shut down like this.

He had only seen that one other time.

Still, he went to the front and picked up his bag, sighing heavily as he closed the door and looked up to the night sky.

“Why the long face?” a voice called out and he startled only to see _______ standing next to him.

“Ah! I didn’t see you there ______!” Yoosung said with a blush.

She laughed at this and shrugged, “Didn’t think you did, but you must really be in your head. How’d your day go?”

Yoosung blushed even more at that which caused her to smile. “V tattooed today,” he said a little lackluster, causing ______ to tilt her head.

“Did it not go well?”

“Oh no! It went really well, it was gorgeous! It’s just…” Yoosung trailed off before groaning. 

“You can tell me, Yoosung,” _______ said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, looking down at him with the kindest eyes he’d seen in awhile. 

He knew he could trust her. “He’s completely in his head, he won’t speak, won’t move, I suggest something and he doesn’t respond. I don’t know what’s going on, I’m worried that maybe he should have just retired if he’s going to be like this every time,” he paused, hand running through his blond hair as _______ nodded. 

“He might just need time, Yoosung. It’s definitely has to be scary to see him like this, but it must be stressful for him, going back to something he avoided for so long,” she said. 

With that Yoosung nodded, “I guess you’re right. I’ll have to see how he is tomorrow.”

“Yup!” _______ said brightly.  
“What are you still doing here though? Hasn’t your last class ended?” He asked. 

Holding up a bag in her hand, _______ laughed, “I’m going to eat way too much takeout and then try to work on something for myself.”

Yoosung smiled, feeling better as he talked to her and laughed along with her, “Well, I won’t hold you back! Have a good evening!” 

“You too! Go relax!” She watched as Yoosung walked off, smile on her face before it fell when he turned the corner. Unlocking her door, she climbed up the stairs and turned on the lights, moving to her corner and pulling out the first takeout container and opening it before she looked around the empty room. Slouching her shoulders and leaning forward a little, she sighed as she pulled out her phone and opened her texts. 

**Hey!  
** **Yoosung told me you were still over at the studio and I wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner.  
I ordered wayyyyyy too much takeout. **

She checked her phone a few minutes later to no response and glanced out her window to see the lights still on. The more she thought of it, the more worried she herself grew. She had seen him like that one night and the thought of him going through that again broke her heart. After looking at her food and the empty room she nodded resolutely, packed up the takeout, and walked out of her store, immediately heading over to his. 

She hadn’t seen Yoosung lock the door after all. 

Taking a deep breath and turning the knob, she stepped in and heard V from the back of the building. 

“I told you to go home, Yoosung,” he said with a frustration she had never heard before in his voice as he stepped out into the hall. 

His eyes widened when he was met with _______ in front of him, a funny smile on her face as she held the full bag up. “Sorry, but I’m not Yoosung and I didn’t come over with a ton of Thai to be told to leave,” she walked towards him, pointing to the room with the table. “Hope you like Tom Yum,” she said, ignoring his slacked jaw as she breezed past him and started to set up the table with the various food she had ordered. 

While the smile was on her faze as she walked past, the moment she was focused on the food her smile fell and she took a deep breath. She had to keep it together for him, she had to distract him. 

It was the only thing she could think to do. The only thing she thought would help calm him down from whatever was plaguing his mind.  
Turning back, smile back on her face she laughed at his still dumbfounded expression, “Well, you gonna help me set up?”

This was what he needed, a friend.


	15. Chapter 15

V was frozen in the hallway as he watched ________ move around his shop with ease. He had been angry when he heard the front door open, angry that Yoosung wouldn’t just leave him alone, but upon seeing her lopsided smile when she walked through the door he had stopped, immediately unsure of what to do next. It was embarrassing, to show that side of yourself to someone you barely knew, someone who seemed able to read every action, word, breath, for what it truly was, but she had ignored his brusque response and was moving on.

Following after her in a daze, he stared in astonishment as she swiftly unpacked the bag, a total of four containers out of the table with a stack of paper plates and bowls beside it before she turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. 

“You gonna join me, or did I really make an ass out of myself this time?”

“Ah, please, stay. I’d love to share dinner with you if that’s what you want,” he said as he made his way towards her, sitting down at the chair across from the her as she opened up the soup and poured it out into two bowls. 

“It’s not about what I want, it’s about what you are ok with, V. If you don’t want me here totally ok to say no, I did barge in after all,” she said with a smile as she picked up a pair of chopsticks and broke them in half, looking to him for permission to continue. 

V paused for a moment, taking in her words, before he picked up a pair of chopsticks himself and pulled the second bowl closer to him. “Well, I’d love to share dinner with you,” he said and he almost blushed when he saw the pleased smile on her face as she took a bite of a large prawn. 

“Good, since, as you can see, I ordered way too much.”

“I won’t lie, I’m surprised by the banquet you have prepared.”

_______ laughed, “I know, I went a little overboard. And well, I would have had leftovers or could share a nice meal with someone, and I prefer the latter.” She smiled as he took a bite of the soup himself before she pulled the roti towards her and ripped it in half. Opening a container of peanut sauce she asked, “So! How’s your Monday?”

V accepted the other half of the roti and waited for her to dip the bread in before he spoke up. “It’s been an interesting day,” he said, avoiding giving any concrete details. 

“Ah, I know the feeling,” she said, not pressing for any further details. If he didn’t want to give any she wasn’t going to push, so she kept going, “The kids were wild in one of my classes, absolutely stir crazy.”

“Ah?”

“You know, summer is officially in full swing, it’s an absolutely gorgeous day, a lot of them just wanted to play- not draw.”

“Must’ve been challenging,” he offered, imagining how handling a group of rowdy kids must have been. 

________ shrugged in response, taking a large bite from her bread and thinking before she spoke, “We just played charades. Theater is just another form of art, after all. And it gets them moving which helps with the abundance of energy.”

V smiled gently at the thought of her bouncing around a room with a group of children, laughing along and overacting whatever she had been told to be. “I have no doubt you gave them exactly what they needed.”

“Oh, uh, thanks!” she responded, obviously a little flustered by the sudden compliment. Turning the conversation back to him, she started saying “So, question.”

He looked up from his plate, eyes slightly wide as the nagging thought in the back of his head repeated, “You know you’re going to lie.”

“Yes?”

“Do you usually eat dinner alone?”

He paused, a little taken aback by her question but he also happy that it was such an innocuous question

V laughed loudly, causing ________ to raise an eyebrow before he answered, “Most nights, yes.”

“Well! If you’re ever here late and see the light on on my second floor feel free to text me!” Her enthusiasm was infectious, but her eyes turned downward as her smile softened, “It’s really nice to actually eat with someone.”

“Be truthful,” a quiet voice in his head said, and he went to open his mouth to tell her that he felt the same, that he felt content in her presence. 

Until a familiar voice fell over the room. 

“I didn’t realize that you had a guest V, and one who’s schedule is usually packed at that,” a low voice said from the doorway and the two of them turned to see Jumin standing there, arms lightly crossed as he held a bag in the other. 

“Jumin!” ________ called out and she smiled as he walked over, “I didn’t know that V had invited you over, I wouldn’t have just barged in here had I known!” She turned to V and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head as if she were disappointed before she smiled again. 

“Ah, so you came over yourself? And here I thought V had invited you over,” Jumin said with a straight face, looking over to his friend. V sat there a bit sheepishly, almost a little embarrassed that he had forgotten that he had invited Jumin over, and he knew that Jumin realized that. 

“Nah, I just ordered a lot of food and didn’t want to eat alone. But! There’s still some stuff, please help yourself. I’m going to head out,” ________ chimed in, drawing V and Jumin’s attention away from each other and back to her. 

“I didn’t mean to,”  
“You can still,”

The two had started to speak but she was shaking her head, a decisive, “No,” falling from her lips.

“It looks like you had plans, and I was meaning to go and get some stuff done at the shop so it works out perfectly,” she said as she stood up, grabbing her plate in one hand as she gestured to Jumin to take her seat. V watched as her as Jumin made their way over and she smiled, patting him on the shoulder before turning back to V and giving him a wave ‘goodbye’. “This was nice though V, if you ever happen to be in late when I am let’s do this again!” She said with one last smile before walking out and towards the door. 

V quickly stood up, shouting, “Let me see you out!”

“Too late, already at the door,” _______ called back with a laugh. “Have a good night you two!”

With a bang the front door closed, and the two old friends were left alone. 

“Well?” Jumin asked as he started to open a bottle of wine, looking to his friend expectantly as he poured them a drink.

V looked over, a slightly confused look on his face but seeing Jumin’s raised eyebrow he immediately knew what he was referring to. “She just came over, brought some food,” he responded, taking the glass and taking a large gulp.

Jumin swirled his glass before he eyed V, “You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

“I was,” V said, guilt apparent in his voice before he said in a low voice, “It was nice to share a meal with someone.”

“I usually don’t push you for answers, but I want to know if something is happening with you two.”

V looked away in response to that, giving a swift, “No, that’s not it at all. She’s just friendly, there’s nothing special about me. It’s nice to talk to her about art.”

Jumin took a sip, silent for a moment before he spoke, “I’m not going to lie to you Jihyun, you looked happier than I’ve seen you in years.”

V fell silent, looking at his glass, “I shouldn’t, that’s not something I deserve.”

“Jihyun-,”

“I know what you’re going to say, Jumin. Don’t.”

Jumin fell silent, throwing the glass back and finishing the contents rapidly, a bit unusual for the man who would take his time to appreciate the wine. Letting out a sigh, he replied, “Well, if you don’t want to talk about that let’s talk about your eyes.”

“Jumin,” V sighed, finishing his own glass rapidly as they stared at each other, an unusual air between them.

The silence only grew between them before Jumin poured them a second glass. “What was it that you wanted to talk about then?”

V picked up the second glass and chugged that, hitting the glass against the table before speaking, “I don’t think she would have liked it.”

“The tattoo?” Jumin asked to which V nodded his head. “I was concerned when you simply texted me, “It’s ugly” but I’m sure the client loved it.”

V remained silent, focused on his food and oblivious to the way Jumin was staring at him; a mix of suspicion, anger, and the most obvious emotion of glaring disappointment.   
He finally spoke up, “Still, I think she would have hated it. Would have demanded that I do better, that I do more than I am now. She wouldn’t have accepted it.”

Jumin couldn’t respond and simply brought the glass to his lips and finished his nearly full glass. “I know that she will always be a part of you. I miss her too, miss the woman we used to know. But we have to move on,” he said abruptly, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Standing up, he pushed the half full bottle towards his dearest friend and turned on his heel, leaving before he stopped in the doorway and turned back to V. “Jihyun, please. I know what life has brought you. But it’s also brought you ___________. You need to cherish that fact,” before turning away.

“Do you?” V shouted out, Jumin standing a bit straighter as he processed in the doorway for a moment before continuing to walk out. Only V knew what that meant. 

Looking back at the table, his head dropped in his hands as the front door slammed shut.


	16. Chapter 16

His hand hovered over the doorknob. 

He could see right across the street, see the lights in the bar window, and see who he assumed was _________ since Yoosung had directly approached her, arms wide for a hug yet he just stood there, but his hand was still barely touching the doorknob. 

Yoosung had called him out only 10 minutes before, saying there was really no excuse he could give for not going to the happy hour and that he should just go and at least meet the twins and V couldn’t argue with that. He wanted to roll his eyes when he saw Yoosung’s pleased grin when he couldn’t respond, but he had just watched the blond finish tidying up and walking out with a smile, calling out, “See you there!” as he walked out. 

Taking a deep breath, he looked down at his phone as he saw a text come in from Jumin. 

**Are you joining us this evening?**

Jumin had been acting like nothing had happened on Monday night, and frankly, it was killing V. Throwing his phone in his pocket he stood up straight and took a deep breath, adjusting his glasses as he opened the door and started to make his way across the street to the bar. As he walked up to the door he heard someone call out to him from the corner and he turned his head in surprise. 

“V! Thought you didn’t hear me!” Zen said, a bright smile on his face as he threw a hand up in greetings, cigarette between his fingers. 

“Ah, apologies,” V responded, a rather meek smile on his face as he noticed the man standing beside Zen, also smoking but with a far less friendly look on his face. 

“No, no worries! Have you met Vanderwood?” 

He shook his head no and looked over to the brown haired man, still surprised by the lack of smile on his face compared to his smoking partner. He held a hand out and was surprised that a gloved one grabbed his and gave a firm shake, the man still silent. 

“Vanderwood,” he had quickly said and V just nodded, a little shaken by the difference between the two men. 

He reached into his pocket, hand resting against his pipe before Zen continued to talk, the man named Vanderwood listening with a blank face as he continued to smoke. With a nod to himself he pulled the pipe up and a pack of matches, drawing a surprised look from his two companions. 

“Um, I’m sorry, should I not?” he asked but Zen just laughed as Vanderwood shrugged beside him. 

“Oh no, I just didn’t think you were a smoker, V!”

“I was just drawn to the pipe. Don’t see a lot of men your age smoking those.”

The difference between the two was almost comical but V smiled as he lit his pipe and took a few puffs, feeling immensely better now that he was no longer the lone man out. But mainly, the smell of tobacco was calming, almost helped center him as he prepared to walk inside and meet the others. 

“Guess it’s a bit of an antiquated pastime,” he laughed and Zen just looked at him with wide eyes. 

“I don’t know, I just always thought pipes were for old men,” he said and Vanderwood just smirked, obviously holding back from saying it was the same thing. It fell silent for a moment before Vanderwood tossed his cigarette to the ground and stamped it out, pulling out a second as he turned to V. 

“So, I saw you come from across the street, you own the shop next to ________’s?”

“You know ________?”

V wanted to kick himself, of all things to respond to it was the mention of her. Vanderwood acted like he didn’t notice though and just nodded, “Pretty sure anyone who frequents this block knows her.”

“Ah,” V said with a nervous laugh, thoughts of her popularity running through his head. 

Zen laughed, “You got that right, how can you not?” Nodding his head in agreement he looked over V’s shoulder and suddenly shouted, “Hey! _________!”

V’s eyes widened as he heard Zen call out to her and turned around immediately at the sound of her name. She turned towards them at the same time and he couldn’t help but smile at her as she looked over to them, her eyes widening a bit before she started walking over to them quickly. 

“Zen, hi!” She said with a small smile, it widening when she called out, “Oh, V! You’re here!” 

He smiled back, lifting a hand in greeting before he noticed her eyes move past him and start to widen even more as she quickened her pace, now shouting out, “And Vanderwood!” 

V let out a deep breath, smoke billowing out of his mouth as he stared at her animated face, smile brilliant as she stared at the man he knew nothing about. He always thought that she had looked excited when she saw him, but her delight was apparent and seeing her stare at the newcomer he wanted to wilt. _________ ended up between him and Vanderwood and across from Zen, quickly speaking. “This is crazy, I can’t believe you three are chatting! But Vanderwood, it’s been three months!” She was excited as she looked to all of them, but her eyes finally settled on the man across from V that she hadn’t apparently seen since Spring. 

“Yes, I came by to see Luciel,” he stated factually as she nodded knowingly. 

“I’ll never understand why you call him that,” she said, shaking her head as she turned to Zen whose arms were open wide, pulling her into a strong hug. 

“Jagiya, where do you think you’re going, the night is young,” he said, finally releasing his hug to take a drag of his cigarette. 

“Ah,” _______ said as she held up a thermos in her hand. “I just came over to say hi really quick and convince Sei to give me some tea. I’ve been feeling really tired the past few days, going to go home and get some rest.” She opened her bag and dropped the container in there, smiling at all of them before turning to V, “Can’t believe I’m missing your first night! You’ll have a great time.”

V nodded, answering, “If you’re feeling tired you should go home, although I’m sure everyone will miss you.”

She laughed, shaking her head, “Ah, you’ll have fun without me! I just knew I needed my rest since Saeyoung’s energy was already too high for me tonight, to be honest.”

“How you can handle him in general is a mystery I’ll never understand,” Vanderwood said passive aggressively, throwing his cigarette to the ground and stamping it out before turning to _________. “I’ll walk you home.”

“Oh, you don’t have to! I know you’re busy Vanderwood.”

He simply shrugged, “I have nothing better to do right now, and it’s safer if someone escorts you.”

“I know you won’t let me say no, and it’d be nice to catch up,” she said with a smile that the otherwise taciturn man returned. Turning back to the others, she rose a hand and gave a short wave. “Bye Zen, I’ll see you! Make sure Jaehee doesn’t drink too much, I know she’s stressed. And please, don’t provoke Jumin, he seemed a bit off today.”

V tensed upon hearing that but Zen just nodded eagerly. “I’ll take care of her, trust me! Can’t let one of my princesses hurt themselves. Can’t promise about Jumin though.”

She laughed as he gave her another hug before turning to V and patting his shoulder. “I’m sorry I can’t be there for your first night, but I’m so happy you came over. You’ll finally get to meet everyone.”

V just nodded and said in a gentle voice, “I hope you get the rest you need.” 

_______ just smiled and wove again, looking at Vanderwood and gesturing with a nod to start walking down the street. The two started walking off, steps synchronized as they made their way to her wherever she lived.

“Hm. She must be really tired, she usually spends at least an hour here,” Zen mused before shrugging.

“Um, who exactly was that?” V asked, turning to Zen who was stamping out his own cigarette, prompting V to empty his pipe.

“Oh Vanderwood? I don’t really know to be honest. He shows up every so often to see Saeyoung, no idea why. Apparently _________ happened to walk into Saeran’s store at the same time as him when it opened and the rest is history.” Straightening out his shirt he continued, “He shows up a few times a year, no one knows what he does or why he comes around, but she managed to get him to meet a few of us.”

“They looked close,” V commented, pocketing his pipe while Zen laughed.

“Oh you think? She acts like that with everyone, but I think that she gets excited when he’s around because it’s so rare. The difference between them is that he doesn’t seem to care for anyone else, it’s almost like she’s the only one he cares to see.”

“You seem to know him well though.”

“Well, no, he just smokes too so we sometimes chat over a cigarette if he’s visiting  Saeyoung or  waiting to see if _________ comes by. He really is bad at holding a conversation.”

Looking in the direction that _________ and Vanderwood had walked off, V saw Vanderwood smile affectionately at _________ as she chattered away happily. Before he turned away, unsure of how he felt upon seeing that, _________ glanced back over her shoulder and caught him looking at her from down the block. Locking eyes, she gave him a small smile and wave before she turned the corner, her chaperone handing her his jacket in that same motion. His mind started to race but the bright voice of Zen pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Well! Let’s get inside and get you a drink!” Zen declared as he gave V a hearty pat on the back. Walking to the door and holding it open, he waited expectantly as V slowly made his way over, steeling himself for his introduction.

The jingle of the bells over the door signaled a newcomer arriving, and when the 5 people seated at the bar turned to V all of their faces registered some sort of surprise. He wasn’t sure of what his overall reception would be, and looking to each person he found himself unable to read the overall vibe of the room. Luckily, he was saved by a happy shout.

“I didn’t think you were coming!” Yoosung yelled out, waving dunkenly as he beckoned for him to come over.

V made his way over to the bar, standing between Yoosung and Jumin before teasing Yoosung, “Only 20 minutes later and you are already this drunk.”

“You know already that Yoosung doesn’t have any tolerance for alcohol. He can’t hold his liquor, let alone a beer,” Jumin replied before taking a sip of his wine, Jaehee laughing in response. 

Yoosung pouted before he turned to his right to point at the two red hair men next to him. “You haven’t met the twins yet, let me introduce them! This is Saeyoung,” he said cheerfully, pointing to the twin with the square glasses and the grin of a trouble maker. 

“God 707 at your service!” He said with a salute, causing Yoosung to giggle lightly at the enthusiastic gesture. 

“And that down there is Saeran,” Yoosung said as he leaned over and pointed at the man at the end of the bar. The two looked at each other for a moment, both nodding emotionlessly as they looked away. “It’s nice to meet you both, I’m sorry it took me this long to introduce myself.”

“Ah I feel like we already know you! Yoosung always talks about you, it makes me jealous,” Seven said, causing Yoosung to whine in response that he didn’t talk about him that much. V smiled lightly and moved to sit next to Jaehee. 

Before he sat in between her and Jumin Sei had placed a glass of red wine in front of him, giving him a slight bow of his head before moving on to the next person in line at the bar, teasing Zen about being late. V looked around, taking it all in before another glass of red wine came into his view and he turned to see Jaehee raising his glass to him. “It’s nice to see you again V,” she said professionally although the smile on her lips gave way to the fact that she was pleased to see him in general. 

“I should say the same for you Jaehee, I still haven’t thanked you for your welcome to the neighborhood.”

Jaehee smirked into her wine as she took a large sip, casually waving him off. “Oh that was nothing, don’t worry.”

“Jaehee, princess! You’re already into your second glass?” Zen asked as he walked over, concern written all over his face. 

“I deserve it,” she said matter of factly as she titled her head back and downed the rest of her glass. 

Zen just sighed in response as he put a glass of water in front of her. “Drink that and you can get another one,” he said to which she nodded, taking the glass and starting to drink that rapidly as Jumin chuckled, apparently enjoying the banter between the two. 

Drinking his wine, V looked down the bar and watched silently for a moment, taking in the energy and the various conversations happening around him. Yoosung had moved in between Saeyoung and Saeran now, the three of them arguing over processing power for computers while Jumin and Jaehee were talking over him, discussing the potential for her to renovate a part of the cafe. Zen was behind the bar, moving from customer to customer before jumping into the former’s conversation to support Jaehee, and he finally understood why this happy hour was so important to ________. They were a family, one that chose to be together, to support each other, and it was beautiful to watch. 

He felt a buzz in his pocket later and pulled out his phone to see a text message from ________,  and to realize that he had already been there for 20 minutes. He opened the text with an unusual urgency, and smiled as he read over her words. 

**Sorry I had to miss the happy hour tonight! Your first time too!  
I just need to rest tonight, been a long week.**

His heart started to pound a little faster and he read it again, touched that she would even think to reach out to him when she had no reason to.

**_Please don’t apologize.  
You need to take care of yourself, and if you need to rest you need to rest._ **

He waited a moment before sending a third text. 

**_I now see why you love these nights. I’m sorry it took so long for me to join._ **

She responded almost immediately . 

**Oh don’t apologize. We can walk over together next week! :)  
I’m putting my phone away for the evening though, have a good night V!**

**_Good night, __________._ **

A small smile on his lips as he slid his phone back into his pocket, he was oblivious to the stare Jumin was giving him as he ordered another glass. And throughout the evening, he didn’t notice how Saeran would glance at him from time to time, hand gripping at his right bicep whenever he looked over. 


	17. Chapter 17

Feeling rejuvenated after the evening before V walked to his shop eagerly the next morning a couple hours earlier than normal, a certain weight off his chest. The rest of the evening had been wonderful, and he knew he had to thank ________ for the initial invite and Yoosung for pushing him to go. His hesitancy was unfair to the both of them, and he had come to a realization the night before- he wanted to be a part of their family. He wanted to feel that sense of belonging, that care for one another, and he knew it would have been even better if she had been besides him. 

And he wanted her to know how he genuinely felt. 

Walking up to her store, he expected her to be open already but was surprised when Jaehee walked out and started locking the door. Giving a handle a turn to ensure it was locked, she went to leave but stopped upon seeing V, a confused look on his face. 

“Oh, hello V. How are you this morning?” She asked as she pocketed the key she had been using moments before. 

“Good morning Jaehee, doing well, hope you are too,” he answered, looking over her shoulder to _________’s store, lights off despite the hour. 

Looking back, Jaehee realized what he was looking at, and with a quick “Oh,” began explaining. “Turns out ________ wasn’t just tired, she’s sick. She called me this morning and asked me to put up this notice she has when she’s out unexpectedly. I know she’s called and emailed all of her scheduled students but there’s always a few who miss it.”

V walked past her and read the note, a cheerful and apologetic one explaining that she had to miss the lessons for that day due to unexpected events. Reading a line explaining that they could contact her for a refund of that day’s price, he smiled lopsidedly at it, always in awe of her giving nature. “I feel awful, I should have noticed,” he started before Jaehee shook her head. 

“She’s quite good at keeping a smile on her face for others,” She said, causing V to remember how she smiled at him Monday night and how she kept him company, and realized she did that for his sake and his alone. Looking at the floor, he missed Jaehee shrugging. “But either way, there’s still a chance a kid will show up, so she puts the sign up.”

“What happens if they do show?” He asked to which Jaehee just shrugged. 

“Some come to my place and wait to be picked up, most go home disappointed.”

He could only nod at that, the two of them wishing each other a good day before walking to their stores. Walking into his shop, he felt a bit empty. All he had wanted to do was to thank her, and instead he had found out she was sick. She had maintained her cheerfulness when they ran into each other and while texting him so he could have a good time. She had stayed when she saw him rip apart his art, she stayed when he yelled at her in his hallway, she had just smiled and carried on as if nothing had happened but he hadn’t done anything for her in return. 

He just wanted to be as good to her as she was to him, but he hadn’t even realized she was ill. 

Looking down, he walked back to his room and started to prep for the day. He couldn’t dwell on these thoughts. 

Hours later, V heard a clamor as he talked to Yoosung at the front desk and turned to look outside. A small group of kids were wandering about, some on cell phones some kicking at the ground and he froze upon realizing they were probably expecting their lesson with ________. “Yoosung, I’m going to check what’s going outside.” He said with no explanation before walking out and addressing the kids. “Are you here for your one o’clock lesson?”

A young kid around the age of 10 looked up from his phone and nodded. “Yah, and my mom can’t pick me up until after my lesson. I guess she missed Miss _______’s call.”

“Same here,” several kids echoed behind him as they looked at the store.

“Who are you?” One asked. 

“I’m V, I own the store next door,” he started, ready to have to explain what he did when the boy from before shouted out, distracting him from continuing. 

“You’re the tattoo artist!”

“Uh, yes,” V answered, unsure of how the kid could have known him while everyone else ran to his side. 

“Miss _________’s told us about you! She likes your stuff, can we see them?!” 

The energy with the kids immediately picked up as V knelt down to their level, “You want to see my tattoos?”

“Yah! Or show us what you give other people!” 

The excited chattering threw him off and he found himself asking, “Are your parents ok with that?”

“Why wouldn’t they be?”   
“________ talked to our parents about you when you moved in, she does it with each store. And they don’t care.”  
“Let us see your art!”

A cacophony of laughs and demands filled the air and V broke into a wide smile, laughing loudly for the first time in ages as he stood up and crossed his arms. “Alright, give me 10 minutes and I’ll give you a lesson.”

The kids cheered and said they would be waiting, and V immediately went back into his store and grabbed Yoosung. “Watch these kids, and give me your phone, I gotta call Jaehee.”

“What?” Yoosung shouted, absolutely cluelessl as V waved him out the door and took his phone in one smooth motion, immediately going through the contacts until he found the number he needed. He held his breath as he listened to the ring tone repeat a second time, third time, finally letting it out when he heard the confused voice of Jaehee.

“Yoosung, why are you calling me?”

“It’s not Yoosung, it’s V. Can you come over and let me into _________’s shop? I know she has a card table and I need to borrow it.”

“Why? I mean, excuse me?”

“I’m really sorry to impose, but there are some kids came over for the lesson and I’m going to hold a class for them outside. I just need a table, I have paper and paints they can use to make her cards.”

“Cards?” 

“Get well cards. I thought I could show them how to draw a flower and then they could write her a note.”

Unbeknownst to him, Jaehee stood on the other end of the line with her hand in her hair, wanting to let out a deep sigh but remaining composed. “Sure, give me 5,” she said, finally letting out her breath only to hear V cheerfully respond. 

“Perfect, I’ll gather supplies,” he said and Jaehee went to end the conversation but he spoke in a soft and genuine voice, “Thank you Jaehee, I really mean it.”

He hung up after that and Jaehee stood there for a moment before dropping her hand to her hip and tossing her phone in the pocket of her apron. He was so selfless, so willing to drop everything to do something solely for ________, it almost made her jealous. 

Minutes later she was over at _________’s door, handing the key to V as he stood outside. 

“Lock up and come give the key to me when you’re done, ok?” She said, posture rigid as he smiled warmly back at her. 

“Thank you again Jaehee.”

“Oh, you’re welcome,” she said as she walked back to her shop. Glancing at the kids, their eyes wide with excitement as they chattered away to Yoosung about his job, a small smile spread on her lips.

Minutes later, V clapped his hands together as the kids sat at the table set up on the sidewalk. “Alright, let’s make some cards for __________,” he said and the kids enthusiastically cheered, all focusing on him as he began to teach them how to draw the flowers they yelled out.

He would do this for her. It was the least he could do.

 

___________ hadn’t moved in hours. Riddled with exhaustion, she laid immobile on her couch, a blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon as she stared blankly at the tv, her face devoid of any emotion. 

She hadn’t felt terrible when she had returned the night before, although she was exhausted after having to keep up an bright facade for Vanderwood, not wanting to cause anyone concern. She drank her tea, took a shower, curled up in bed and woke up hours later drenched in sweat, unable to keep her stomach settled and completely overwhelmed with just how awful she felt. Waking up early to make sure she could email and call the students’ guardians to let them know of the cancellation, she hung up after the last call and crawled into her bathrobe before she immediately rushed to her bathroom to throw herself over the toilet once more. 

It was nearing 6 PM, and she luckily hadn’t been sick since that morning, though she thought many a time she was going to be. Instead she kept fluctuating between hot and cold, nauseous and ravenous, and she hated every moment of it. For the first time in ages she had found herself in tears over just how awful she felt, and all she wanted was for someone to come over and take care of her, to help her with the simplest of tasks. She had called her family, begging one of them, any of them, to come over and make her some soup despite the hours keeping them apart, and when they had said ‘we can’t’ (for obvious and acceptable reasons) she had broken down into tears again. It was loneliness, pure and simple, and she hadn’t felt this desire to have someone by her side in years. 

As she deliberated ordering something to try and eat a knock came at her door, and she immediately perked up, shooting up from her position and rushing over to the door despite her dizziness. Still wrapped up in that blanket in a haphazard match of pajamas she threw the door open, a wide and sickly smile on her face, and yelled out, “You came!” before the smile fell when she realized that she was staring straight into the mint eyes of her store’s neighbor, not a family member she thought was taking pity on her and coming to help.  
“Oh, this is embarrassing,” she deadpanned, almost humiliated by how she must have looked.

“I’m so sorry, I just,” V started before she laughed, causing him to pause. 

“No, I just thought it was someone else. But um, why are you here?”

“Ah, I just wanted to stop by, and see how you were doing,” he quickly answered, obviously a little unsettled by her reaction to him before he held out a bag to her, “Oh, and bring you this.”

Glancing at it, she recognized the label on it as one from a restaurant on their block that she frequented and her stomach immediately roared. She looked up at him, eyes wide but he just smiled at her. “Let me bring this in for you.”

“I’m really sick, I don’t want you to catch whatever I have,” she said as she shook her head but he just shook his in return and walked in.   
“I don’t think you want to hear this, but you look ill and in need of aid. Please let me help you, I don’t care what happens to me.”

She sighed as she closed the door and pointed to the kitchen table. “Didn’t want to hear that, but I know it’s true, although you should still look out for yourself. Thank you for bringing me something.”

He had her sit at the table as she directed him to where she kept her bowls and spoons and a few minutes later was seated across from her as he poured some soup for her and pushed it across. 

Lifting the spoon to her mouth, she asked, “How did you know my address?”

“Jaehee,” V bashfully admitted.

“I’m surprised she gave it to you to be honest.”

“Well, she was the one who suggested I stop by.”

“What?” ________ asked, truly surprised. 

“Well, I had something else I wanted to give you, the food was just an afterthought.” He reached down into his bag, _________ raising an eyebrow as he pulled out a file. “Some kids showed up for your lesson, so with Jaehee’s help I set up a table outside your shop and gave them a mini lesson.” He placed the file on the table and pushed it to her, eyes full of confusion as she took it and started to flip through the pages. 

Page after page there were colorful flowers, notes saying that they missed her and hoped she got better soon, and just an outpouring of love that she was overwhelmed by. Tears started to form in her eyes and she wiped at them as she let out a happy laugh, looking up to V as she held the file close to her chest. “Oh V, thank you so much, I don’t know what to say,” she said breathlessly, tears threatening to roll down her face.

“It’s the least I could do, you have done so much for me.”

“I’m going to keep these forever,” she said as she ran a hand over it, pulling it close to her chest once again as she hesitated putting them down on the table and going back to her food, stopping every so often to read through them again and look up at him with the widest smile. They continued to eat in silence as she kept looking back to them before she finally leaned back and placed her hands on her stomach. 

“Full?”

“As much as I can be,” she laughed causing V to smile back in response. 

“Well go rest, I’ll tidy up,” he said to which she smiled and nodded, grabbing the file and walking to the couch where she laid down and started to go through the notes and drawings from the kids again. She was still shocked by his offering, and as she glanced over the back of the couch to see him standing over her sink cleaning her dishes she felt her face become hot, and she knew that it wasn’t from any illness.  
Looking back at the art and losing herself in her thoughts of him, she looked up when a voice called out over her, “Is this where you usually spend your days when sick?” He was standing there, a small smile on his face as he watched her continuously flip through the pages, his own heart full that his gesture had been appreciated.

“Oh yes. I watch animated films I think are beautiful, feel good films with wonderful female leads and soundtracks, tv shows about art, Bob Ross, and if I’m feeling particularly masochistic, cooking shows. I allow myself to be pretty lazy,” she answered, finishing with a laugh as she slowly sat up.

“You should lay down if you need to, you,”

She wove him off. “I’m fine, and you need a place to sit if you’re going to stay. Plus, if you’ll excuse me, have to use the bathroom.”

He blushed lightly at her wry smile before she walked away. Now silent, he began to look around the apartment, finally getting an intimate view into her life. It was even better than he could have imagined, well organized and bright, some canvases hanging on the wall with the perfect lighting to bring out the colors used. Plants where she could, wide windows, it felt like her shop did only more intimate. Taking note of a bookshelf littered with various items, he walked over and started to read the titles, surprised by the variety she had. Both fiction and non, biographies and art books from various artists across time, history, language, they jumped from subject to subject but they all showed signs of being read.

Moving from that, he smiled lightly at the various plants, mostly succulents that rested on the open shelves that were scattered among several different framed photos. He took his time taking in the details of each, a photo of her surrounded by a group of other women all laughing as they held onto each other, a couple of shots with her various other people- most of them with their arms wrapped around each other at various places, a shot of the neighborhood sans him and Yoosung at the bar, and one of her and some people who must have been her family by the striking resemblance between them. “I don’t know her,” he realized as he looked between them. There was a whole other life she had outside the block they occupied and he hadn’t thought to ask about it.

The final frame he looked at had him stopped in his tracks though. She looked absolutely radiant, a joyful smile spread across her face unlike the others as she stood in front of a large painting of an exceptionally beautiful man pointing to it as that same man stood next to her, smiling at her with a fondness that he recognized from seeing it on the faces of their neighbors whenever they looked at her. But there was something more to it, a sense of ease between the two as they stood side by side as if they knew each other better than anyone.  
Was he the reason she didn’t look anyone else’s way?

“Ah, snooping around?”

He whirled around to see her standing behind the couch, slowly making her way towards him with a a fond smile on her face. Siding up next to him she ran her eyes over the photos, smile only deepening as she looked over them. He stood silent next to her, unsure of what to say before she spoke up again, “Want to know who they are?”

He just nodded as she started to point at the frames and rattle off names and where they knew each other; college friends who were in other majors, friends she made through the years of art classes and competitions, places she had visited due to her travels, and her family which he had correctly guessed. As she took a break, he looked to the last frame and nodded to it, quietly asking, “And who is that?”

“Hm? Ah, this,” she said, taking the frame off its shelf and looking down at it, a fond smile spreading across her face before turning it to V. “He’s one of my greatest friends and I won’t lie, an excellent model. We met randomly at a bookstore years ago. He’s a poet, a really wonderful one.” She placed it back in its spot turning to face V completely. “I was in his area for an apprenticeship and when that ended we decided that we didn’t want to deal with pursuing whatever we might have had but chose to still be there to support each other in whatever we did in life. That was a shot from my final show for school, even though it was inconvenient for him to come he did. It’s wonderful to have a friend like that.”

V was silent as she softly smiled, obviously lost in memories of the two before she turned up to him with an honest look. “You ever meet someone you just click with, you just know that they are going to make a mark on you regardless of what that entails? You could say we were that for each other.” She laughed as she tapped the photo once before she walked backed to the couch.

He nodded at her question as a rush of emotions began to run through him. Golden hair, green eyes he had found himself lost in for hours, conversations around the future and their goals, he knew exactly what she was talking about. “I knew someone like that,” he admitted, eyes glued to the table before him.

“Tell me about them! I feel embarrassed being the only one talking about it.”

“I would never judge you, I still have a photo similar to that myself.”

“Ah! Then you have to tell me about them!” she said with a smile as she got comfortable. Looking at her, having just be so truthful, he felt a terrible knot tighten in his stomach as he began to speak.

“She was my fiancée, Rika. She’s also Yoosung’s cousin, I should mention that,” He glanced over to see _________ staring at him with a concerned look and he wondered if she realized that he had used the past tense. “We were together for a long time. When I first saw her I was drawn to her immediately, she just puled me in with her energy.”

He took a deep breath and stopped for a moment, trying to gather himself and compose what he was going to say before continuing. “From the moment we talked, I knew I was meant to love her.”

“She’s no longer with us, but I’m reminded of her every day.”

It was only a few sentences, but he hadn’t felt this drained in years. Head turning even further from her, he started to think of the past before he was pulled out by a soft hand on his own, and a look not of sympathy or pity that he was used to from others, but one that showed her heart was truly breaking for him. “Thank you for telling me, V,” she said just above a whisper as she squeezed his hand again, the silence growing between them as the minutes passed by.

He finally went to speak again but when he turned to her he saw that she had fallen asleep, her hand still wrapped around his as she softly snored. “Thank you for not saying “Sorry” when I told you,” he whispered as he pulled his hand from hers and placed it on her forehead, relieved to see that her fever had broke and that she was past the point of feeling sick. It wasn’t appropriate to let her sleep on the couch though and despite his attempts to waken her she remained fast asleep.

“I’m sorry if I wake up, but you need to rest in your bed,” he whispered to her again as he slowly lifted her and quickly started to walk to her room, desperate to not drop her. As he walked in he laid her on the bed, pulled the blanket she had been in all day off of her, and slowly slid the covers bunched at the end of the bed on top of her. Looking down at her so peaceful, an easy smile on her face, he leaned down and stroked her hair once more, his fingers running through her hair as the smile deepened and she turned over.

Content with her now in bed and obviously feeling better, he walked out and went to her front door before he paused.

He couldn’t leave her door unlocked, and he couldn’t just take her key. Looking around in confusion, he glanced at the couch and sighed. It would be good if someone was there in case she got worse, right?

 

“Huh?” ________ muttered groggily hours later as she woke up, mouth dry and lips chapped. She knew she was in her bed, but thinking back she had no memory of getting into it. Turning over, she saw a glass of water she knew she hadn’t placed there on her nightstand and took it in her hands, greedily drinking it as she started to wake up more.

“V, he had to have been the one to do this,” she realized as she pulled herself out of bed to go to the kitchen and get more, hearing her stomach rumble from the amount that she irresponsibly had drank on a weak stomach. Walking to the kitchen, she rubbed at her eyes before she turned on the light and the faucet, only to hear a concerned voice call out, “Please, you should stay in bed.”

Head whipping around as she immediately woke up she turned to see V sitting on her couch, blanket wrapped around his bare shoulders as he wearily put his glasses on.

“V!”

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to leave your door unlocked, but I didn’t want to take your key, so I just,”

“No, it’s alright. In fact, thank you for caring so much about me to think of my safety like that,” she said as she turned off the light and walked over to him, sitting opposite him on the coffee table, about to ask him if he needed anything before she froze in place.

She couldn’t take her eyes off of the tattoo, a perfect anatomical heart over the place where his was, the stem of 2 large daffodils in bloom piercing through it. She was fixated, eyes taking in every detail- the veins running over the heart, the accuracy of the veins and the color of the blood running through it, the vibrant yellow of the flower overpowering the subtle coloring of the heart, the sharp end of the stem ripping through, completely consuming it. The coloring was of his usual style, but the way the purple and red seeped out of the heart and onto his skin reminded her of blood, and she couldn’t take her eyes off of it. 

Raising a hand, she tentatively reached out before pulling back, turning her gaze to him as she caught the tattoo under his right collar bone in beautiful cursive, a simple “Bad lover”. She looked away quickly and back up to him, her mouth slightly open as her mind raced, completely unsure of what to say. “V…” she whispered as they locked eyes, his full of pain and her’s full of confusion. 

He remained quiet as his hand rose towards her, her own dropping instinctively. Time felt painfully slow as she closed her mouth and he rested his hand under her chin, his thumb touching her lower lip as she slowly shifted from a confused look to one full of morose. His eyes dropped from her’s to her lips, and he grazed his thumb slowly across it before whispering, “Jihyun.”

Her eyes flashed back to confusion before he continued, his voice cracking, “Please. Call me Jihyun.”

She nodded, and he did the same in return before dropping his hand and standing up abruptly, grabbing his shirt and throwing it on as he turned from her and walked away quickly. 

“Jihyun, please,” she started before he looked back, a fake smile similar to the one he wore the first time she saw him on his face. 

“You should get back to sleep, _________. You’re still not feeling well. I’ll go though, now that you can lock the door.”

“Jihyun, you can,”

“Please, ________. Please.”

He was pleading with her and she wanted to reach out, to grab his hand and pull him back down and beg him to stay but she just stayed there glued to her seat. There was nothing she could do and she knew that from the way they stared at each other. Nodding once, he flashed her that fake smile again before turning away and walking to the door. 

“I’m going to stay at your door until you lock it,” he said as he opened the door and stared at her, opening his mouth as if he had something to say before he closed it and turned around, walking out the door without a word more.

As the door shut she flinched, but she slowly walked over, peering out of the peephole to see him standing there, back turned. She kept watching him as she reached over and locked the door and like he said, the second he heard that he looked over his shoulder, smiled sadly, and then walked away.

She whipped around, one hand covering her mouth and the other over her heart as her back was pressed against the door, breath heavy as her mind raced. She had asked him if he had met anyone who made a mark on him, but she hadn’t realized that he had met someone who influence him so much he would mark his loyalty, that he would genuflect in such a permanent manner.

She couldn’t stop the tears from falling when she thought of the daffodils that pierced his heart. “I’m so sorry, Jihyun… I’m so so sorry…” she cried into her hands as she slid down the door and fell to the ground. 

Knees pulled to her chest, she pressed her face against them as she thought of the pained look he gave her when he left and everything was clear to her. He wasn’t just a neighbor, she wanted to comfort him, to let him know that there were people who still cared. But beyond that, one thought kept flooding back, consuming everything else.

“Jihyun,” she cried. “I gave you daffodils. I’m so sorry.”


	18. Chapter 18

She had been in the shop for the thirty minutes, silently moving through the greenhouse in the back as she hastily sketched flower after flower, jumping from one to another after only a few minutes at each. She’d been flipping page after page, sighing after nearly each one before moving to the next and one could see that the flowers were unfinished, that the sketches were rough, and that she obviously wasn’t satisfied with what she had put out. 

Well, Saeran could see. 

He liked to think that he knew ________ better than most. It all started the first time she had walked past their shop, and he would have sworn that an angel had just gone by. He had been taken by her wide smile and he could only stand in the window and stare as she walked into Jaehee’s cafe across the street. She was unlike anything he had seen before, openly warm and generous to those she bumped into and he had been completely taken. When she had first walked into the store, eyes bright and full of wonder as she glanced around and welcomed them to the neighborhood he had been completely enraptured by her, hanging onto her every word. Saeyoung had laughed when she left, commenting on how awkward and jittery he had been around her but Saeran had felt the total opposite- being around her was calming, though he did admit to being nervous at how he came off. 

Over time she had convinced them to come out, to join the neighborhood activities, and he knew that without her encouragement that the shop would have closed early, that he would have given up on his dream. Having Saeyoung by his side helped but there was something about _______ that made Saeran want to prove himself even more. Nothing seemed to deter her, so how could he let anything stop him? She always told him that life was full of trials, and that what mattered was how you grew from them, how you accepted them as part of your life’s story and moved on, and he tried to take that to heart.

Seeing her like this worried him to no end though. She could be quiet, yes, but her actions proved something was weighing on her mind, and he hoped that she would open up to him about whatever troubled her.

“Saeran?” 

He turned to her at the sound of her soft question, curious as to what she was doing when he saw her standing to the side and staring at the several large buckets of daffodils he had out. He looked over her for a second when she crouched down to inspect the flowers more closely, but when she turned to him his heart nearly stopped beating in his chest. She didn’t look curious like she usually did, her eyes devoid of emotion as she looked up at him, and while he wanted to rush to her side he didn’t want to scare her, so he slowly walked over and knelt next to her on the ground. 

“Yes, ________?” He asked, hesitant as he waited for her to speak. 

“What do daffodils mean? Other than “New Beginnings?”

She had looked back to the flowers as she spoke, her attention fully on them as her brow knitted and she slowly raised a hand to touch the leaves of one that was drooping over the bucket’s edge. He was taken aback by the sad look that had fallen on her face, unused to seeing her look so unfocused, but he slowly began to speak. 

“Daffodils have several meanings other than ‘rebirth’ or ‘new beginnings’. Those are the most common, since they bloom during spring, but they do have other meanings; creativity, inspiration to name a few. They famously have a second side to them though.” _________ looked over to him as he spoke, moving from sitting on her heels to unceremoniously on the ground as he followed suit, leaning up against the table behind them. He continued, “They are also scientifically known as Narcissus, after the myth. You probably have heard it, but it’s the story of the handsome hunter who was cursed by Nemesis after he rejected the nymph Echo. He was doomed to fall in love with his own image, and spent his life staring at his reflection in a lake.”

“Ah, I know that one. He stayed at the water’s edge even though his love was unreciprocated and eventually drowned trying to be with his reflection. The flowers bloomed in the spot he had rested.”

He nodded, continuing, “For that, they have a slightly darker side. They have been called the flower of vanity.” He glanced over to find her staring at the flowers again, the pen she had been holding rapidly tapping against her notebook before she stopped.

“Well, they are named after the original narcissist himself,” she said, eyes narrowing as she lost herself in her thoughts again.

“But some think they are the flower of admiration, that you give them to someone who you believe is the only one for you. Their mythical origin might be dark, but they are a beautiful flower.” After a moment, Saeran leaned towards her and asked her outright, “Did something happen with the tattoo artist?”

She turned to him, eyes wide before they softened and she shrugged. “Just learned that these might have not been the best gift to give him.” She turned back to the flowers and looked at the sketch pad in her hands as she began to ruminate over what he had just told her: inspiration, total admiration, vanity. She couldn’t begin to imagine who Rika was, but she had to have been absolutely inspiring, she had to have been Jihyun’s muse, and something terrible must have happened if they were no longer together. 

And she couldn’t help but think that his reserved nature was also because of this. He had seemed so distant in the beginning, so utterly determined to keep her and the neighborhood at arm’s distance. Two years ago he had abruptly closed shop and disappeared from the public eye, and something must have spurred this, and the exit of Rika from their life had to have been the reason. It just had to have been.

While she was lost in thought, she didn’t notice the Saeran’s hands had clenched, that he had started shaking slightly and that his usually calm, small smile had been replaced by a look of pure rage. He was thinking of that blue haired man, and the way those mint eyes had stared at him just a few days back, and he felt a side of him coming out that hadn’t shown itself in years.

“You shouldn’t just trust everything he tells you!” He shouted out.

________ pushed away slightly from him when he declared that, shocked at the show of emotion from the usually calm, sweet Saeran. Eyes wide, she immediately found herself leaning back in. “Saeran, what,” she started to whisper before he shook his head rapidly. 

“It’s just, you don’t know him.” He seemed panicked as he collected his thoughts. “You’re trusting, _______, so trusting and amazing and I hate seeing you like this! You don’t know him and he’s already hurt you and I don’t want anything worse to happen!”

“Saeran, you don’t need to worry,”

“I always worry about you, ________. I constantly wonder if you’re ok, if you’re hurt, if someone out there is being awful to you. You’re amazing, and have done so much for me over so little time, and I just want to do the same for you. I want to make sure you’re happy, and I can tell right now that you’re not.”

It fell silent as the two of them sat there, both of them staring at the other silently as they processed what had been said. It was obvious to ________ that Saeran was concerned, and had been thinking about this all morning since she arrived, but she was completely thrown off by his declaration a moment ago and concerned herself that he was hurting in some unknown way. 

It was another moment before she slowly spoke, “Saeran, I am happy. I have my health, wonderful friends, and I’m pursuing my passion in life. Sometimes things come up, are revealed, that give you a lot to think about. They will pass, they always do. I’m ok, truly, and I don’t want you to worry.” She leaned in a little, staring into his mint eyes as his burned with an absolute intensity she had never seen from him. It was almost like he was a whole different person for a moment before his shoulders slumped and he leaned back up against the table again. 

“You must hate me after that outburst,” he whispered and she shook her head. 

“You know I could never hate you, well, at least unless you give me a definite reason to.” She reached out, staring at his mop of curly red hair and quickly ran a hand through it, fingers lingering at the end as she commented, “I remember when I first met you, and you had that white hair with the pale pink ends. By your next haircut this bleach will be gone.”

“And then I will look just like Saeyoung,” he grimaced, causing her to laugh. 

“Oh no, your eyes will still be that beautiful mint,” she said, still focused on his hair and missing the rising blush that was creeping up his neck and onto his face. He slowly inched his hand forward, wanting desperately to reach out and grab the one positioned on her lap but he hesitated and she pulled away, smile still on her face as she continued, “And if you’re eyes are ever closed you’ll still have that tattoo.”

He paused, face growing pale as she looked down at the sketchbook and turned to the page where she had drawn it out once. The memory of her sitting down and copying it was burned into his brain; in a rush to get to the shop he had thrown a short sleeve shirt, forgetting about the black ink that crept below the sleev. She had come in, wanting to buy a fern for her store and was immediately drawn to it, asking questions he didn’t dare answer. With a smile, she had said that one day she would love to see the rest of it, if he felt comfortable showing it and it had escalated from there. He had sat that night in her studio, shirtless, and let her draw it, unable to look her in the eyes the entire time, although he felt a sense of relief at revealing it to someone. 

That night she hadn’t asked any questions. She knew he wasn’t going to answer. 

“This ugly thing,” he muttered, glancing down and she leaned forward onto her knees. 

“I know you’re a bit wary of him, but if you ever wanted to cover it up, we do have Jihyun down the street,”

“I will NEVER let him touch me!” Saeran shouted, the rage back on his face as he stared her straight into her eyes, “And a first name basis with him now?”

“Saeran, I,” she started to whisper but he stood up, eyes darting around the room as his hands clenched into tight fists and his knuckles turned white. 

“I have to get ready. You should go,” he said in a clipped tone before looking down at her, eyes desperate, absolutely pleading. “Please, please don’t let him hurt you.”

She nodded slowly and stood up, about to say something before he turned away from her. Knowing that he wasn’t going to say another word to her she silently exited through the front of the shop, head down before saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up to see Saeyoung, quiet and mournful. She had never seen him like this, his usual wide smile completely missing, and she knew he had to have heard every word that had been said. 

“Don’t worry, ________. Please don’t, I’ll take care of this,” he whispered as he looked to the back door and back to her. 

She had so many questions, she wanted to say something, but she could only nod and walk towards the door. Hand on the door knob, she paused, wanting to turn back around but she knew she had to leave and so she did. Saeyoung stared at her back the entire time, and when the bell jingled above the door and it slammed shut he braced himself. From the back, a pained yell cried out and the slam and tumbling of buckets mixed with it before it fell silent. Walking back there, Saeyoung opened the door and saw the aftermath of his brother’s fit. The buckets of daffodils were overturned, the water had splashed all around the room and covered the ground, and the flowers laid there, crushed under his twin’s feet. 

The petals of the daffodils were destroyed, torn and mangled from being stomped on and Saeran stood in the middle of the chaos, eyes watering as he turned to his brother. 

“She must hate me,” he whispered and Saeyoung walked over, wrapping his arms around him tightly before letting go and shaking his head. 

“You know that’s not true. She said it herself, she could never hate you. But we should clean up, I’ll help you.”

Kneeling down and picking up one of the overturned buckets, he started to grab the flowers off of the ground, and Saeran shortly followed behind. In deafening silence, they cleaned up the flowers, started to mop up the floor, and as Saeyoung walked outside to the dumpster to dispose of the ruined blossoms he paused. 

Two years. Two years and it only took one glance for the pain to rush back, for his brother’s suffering to reappear after years of hard work.

And ________ had no idea what turmoil was stirring in their hearts.


	19. Chapter 19

__________ had been antsy the rest of Monday. 

Tuesday. 

Wednesday. 

The days had passed by in a spiral of anxiety and now it was Thursday. She was standing in front of her class going over a new technique for the adult crowd and her mind was still elsewhere. She hadn’t seen the twins since she’d visited, and while she had caught sight of Yoosung once walking by the front of her shop, him waving excitedly to her like always, she hadn’t shared a conversation. What weighed heavily though was the fact that she hadn’t once seen Jihyun, not even from a quick glimpse into his shop provided any closure. No matter what she did, she couldn’t forget the look on his face as he walked into her apartment, as she told him about her past, as he told her about his, when he told her to call him his real name. They played in a loop, constantly rotating as she ran through every moment they had spent together until it ended with the look he gave her as he left; broken and despondent. 

All the while, the words of Saeran would jump in. Warnings to not trust him, powerful declarations that he would not let the man near him, words filled with vitriol trying to hide a sense of fear. 

It had absolutely eaten at her, and while she was able to perform for the classes her mind was elsewhere the entire time. 

As she circled the room answering any questions that came in she felt a vibration in her pocket and turned away quickly to check the incoming text, only to see that Zen had texted the group chat with them and Jaehee. 

****_Are you ladies coming in tonight?  
I miss my favorite customers!  
And the place is positively dead!_

Jaehee promptly chimed in, always responding the second she read something.   
**I’ll be in tonight. Just taking stock.  
________ will you be joining?  
You shouldn’t if you’re still feeling ill.**

Quickly glancing over her shoulder to check the class, and upon seeing no one looking her way she sent a quick text back.   
**Feeling better!  
Have to finish a class, but will be over after. **

With that, she turned around and smiled at the class, playing the role of dutiful teacher. 

 

An hour later she was locking the door behind her and rushing across the street. Opening the door, she was surprised to see the bar quieter than usual on a Thursday night but unsurprised to see the seats usually occupied by Saeran and Saeyoung and Jumin empty. She walked over and threw her coat and purse on the hook below the bar before leaning onto it, looking behind the bar to see Sei and Zen rearranging bottles. 

“I’m back!” She called out and the two looked up, a warm smile appearing on Sei’s and a bright one on Zen’s. 

“Jagiya!” Zen declared as he stood up rapidly, almost bumping his head in the process as he hurried to see her. “I’m so glad you’re here, we’ve missed you!”  
Sei followed, nodding once before asking, “I take it you’re feeling better?”

“Ah, much better,” she answered but Sei gave her a look over his glasses. 

“Well, glad to see your physical health is back,” he commented and she gave the slightest of nods to that. The man was perceptive, she couldn’t deny that.

“Hello!” Jaehee said as she slid up in her seat next to _________, and Zen held his arms out, another smile on his face. 

“And my other leading lady! I’m so happy you’re here, look at this place!”

“Zen,” Sei chided before smiling wryly and moving to the other side of the bar, checking in on some other customers, leaving the three to themselves. 

“How are you, ________? We missed you last week and I haven’t seen you since then,” Zen said as he started to pour their usual drinks. Serving them, he rose his beer to them and gave a quick cheers before taking a sip. 

“Better, I had the stomach flu pretty bad for a day but after resting over the weekend I felt a lot better.”

“Did V stop by?” Jaehee asked, causing Zen’s eyebrows to rise. 

“V visited you?”

“He took over for one of the lessons when she was out and some kids had still showed up. He had them make cards and after he gave me the key back to the shop I gave him her address so he could deliver them.”

“________ is that true?” He asked. She nodded, taking a large sip from her beer as she tried to avoid talking about it. “Well, what did he do? He just visited and then left, right?”

“Zen, she’s a grown woman you shouldn’t worry,” Jaehee said rolling her eyes before she leaned towards her. “I can’t lie though, I am curious. What happened?”

________ took yet another large sip, looking down as she widened her eyes in exasperation before turning to her close friends. Leaning onto the bar, head in hand she sighed before speaking. “I looked and felt like absolute shit, but he brought over soup so I let him in. He gave me the letters which nearly made me cry, cleaned up, and we just chatted for a bit.”

Zen looked concerned as he leaned back, arms crossed. “He was a gentleman, right?”

She could only nod to that before Jaehee spoke up, “Well, I’m glad that he brought you food, I bet you hadn’t eat yet. You need to make sure you eat, even if you have a stomach flu.”

Laughing, _______ conceded, “You’re right, I hadn’t. I even had called my family asking one of them to come over.”

Zen and Jaehee fell silent for a moment, and ________ instantly regretted bringing them up. While Jaehee had been able to find closure since her parents’ deaths, she knew the subject was still sensitive for Zen. She went to say something, but Zen just sighed, “You know you could have reached out to me.”

“I know, but I know you’re busy with your rehearsal. It’s why I haven’t seen you in two weeks! Last we talked it seemed to be your dream role, so enough about me, tell me more about it!”

Jaehee turned to him, eyes bright as she nodded rapidly. “I too would love to hear more about this role. You told me last week you would reveal more after your rehearsal last weekend!”

It was like a light had turned on and Zen immediately straightened up, smiled his dazzling smile, and began to go into intricate detail about the story, the set, the cast, and everything in between. Jaehee leaned forward, hanging on his every word while _________ floated in and out of paying attention. She gulped down the last of the beer, looking over and smiling every time Zen gave a grand flourish, and she had to admit that sitting among her closest friends brought a sense of calm and normality that she had desperately needed. She looked down at her hands though, about to let her mind wander before a full glass of wine appeared before her. Looking up, she found Sei standing across from her, a knowing smile on his face. 

He spoke in a hushed voice as to not disturb the other two, “It’s not good to hide how you truly feel, ________. I know that these two would be more than willing to listen if you wanted to confide in them.”

She sighed, smiling at Sei a bit sadly before shrugging and picking up her drink. “I knew you picked up on something. I’m... ok...” she said, pausing between words to contemplate how she felt. “I don’t want to worry these two right now, I would just be gossiping at this point, you know?”

Sei smiled knowingly. “You know that ruminating too much can only do more harm than good. I’m not sure what is weighing on your mind, but talking to someone could never hurt. You’re always one to face your problems head on. Don’t forget yourself amidst some chaos.”

________ broke out into an appreciative smile, nodding as she picked up her glass and brought it up, reaching out to Sei. “You’re right, as you always are. I’ll have to figure out the next steps from here, that’s all I can do.” He nodded and laughed as she cheered to him and took a sip of the wine. “Goodness, you know my tastes as always.”

“Hey! Sei, quit trying to impress her old man! And ________, I know you when it comes to beer!” Zen cried out, interrupting the conversation.

“Oh, calling your boss an old man?” Sei said with his usual wry smile.

Zen and Jaehee had finally entered the other conversation and ________ broke out into a joyful laugh, the first one in what felt like ages as they all devolved into a fit of laughter. While she normally would have lamented the absence of everyone else she was grateful to be able to spend some quality time with her two original friends on the block. Zen and Jaehee were the only ones who had been around longer than her from her close friends, and having them in her corner from the beginning really allowed her to take risks she never would have thought of. When she had moved in she never would have thought that she’d find two kindred spirits, two people who were pursuing their passions in life despite the challenges, despite the naysayers, and she could honestly say that without them she hadn’t a clue as to where she’d be. 

She liked to think that they provided the perfect balance of support for one another. Jaehee would question whether leaving her lucrative administrative position was worth it when a customer treated her horribly and Zen and her would be by her side, insisting that she was on the right path, and defining the customer in question as simply a fool, a bug that could be ignored. Zen was quick to talk himself down at every opportunity, and upon revealing how his own parents and brother had treated him growing up Jaehee and her wasted no time in building him up, in insisting that he had a permanent fan base with the two of them at the number one spot no matter what direction his acting took him. And when _________ would come in, sighing about the latest piece she created, about an old colleague floating back in her life and commenting on her departure or a kid breaking yet another pallet the other two were there, ready to either fight or provide whatever kind words were needed. 

A simple ‘hello’ had changed her life so many times on this block, and these two were the first ones who had made her feel at home. She would never regret choosing the building if for the simple fact that they had come into her life because of it. 

The night went on, laughing and teasing and catching up and before they knew it Sei was pushing them out, chiding them playfully as he reminded them of their responsibilities the next day. After a strong hug, Zen turned the corner towards his place and Jaehee and ________ walked back towards her cafe, the two turning to each other and smiling fondly before Jaehee sighed. 

“I didn’t want to ask with Zen around, but I have to know, did anything else happen Friday night?” 

________ paused, thinking of what to say next before she conceded, “He stayed for awhile, and ended up sleeping over.” Jaehee’s eyes widened and her jaw slightly dropped but ______ just laughed. “I know where your mind is going Miss “I’m Not Innocent”! It was nothing like that though, I just fell asleep while he was there and after putting me to bed he realized he had no way to leave without leaving my front door unlocked and me exposed to the dangers of the world. He made himself at home on the couch.”

Jaehee’s shoulders dropped just a bit and she let out a relieved laugh. “I was shocked for a moment there!”

She got a guffaw in response and blushed as her friend shook her head. “Like you said yourself Jaehee, I’m a grown woman. And anyways, you’re the one who gave him my address and didn’t even send me a warning text! I opened the door looking like death itself!”

The two broke out into a fit of laughter as Jaehee wiped at her eyes. “That’s on me,” she admitted as she laughed again before smiling. “I’m glad he gave you the cards. I’m not going to lie, I was apprehensive when he called asking to get the key to your shop to grab a spare table, but I just,” she trailed off for a moment before looking back at ________, “I just was impressed by how he decided to do that without a second thought, that it was just right for him to do that. So I thought it would be good to have him go and see you.”

The two stood there for a moment before ________ nodded once. “You’re right, it was incredibly generous of him. Thanks for sending him over.”

With that, the two hugged each other good bye, promised to make plans for a girls night soon, and walked away from each other and towards their own homes. Before ________ walked around the corner though, she glanced back down the street. She stood before Saeran’s shop, dark and locked up, and could see the entire street from there. Most shops had their lights off, a few signs illuminated by the street lights dotting the road, and with a quick look she could confirm that Jihyun’s shop was dark, not a speck of light coming through. 

Turning around and walking off quickly, she went to reach for her phone but when her fingers brushed it she pulled her hand out of her pocket and looked forward. Sei was right, ruminating now would only do more harm in the long run. She had had a wonderful night with friends, she was going to enjoy the quiet warm summer night on her walk home, and she would send Zen and Jaehee their customary “I’m home!” text before she would take off her makeup and slide into bed. 

She wouldn’t let this bother her anymore. She was going to face this head on. 

 

Saeyoung sat at his desk, three different monitors set up in a line as he flipped through each screen, pulling up various tabs, checking the overall speed of his internet, and downloading some files before he leaned back, satisfied with how everything was running. Checking the time left for the downloads, he stood up and walked to the kitchen, rummaging through the pantry and refrigerator before grabbing a bag of Honey Buddha chips and a bottle of PhD Pepper. He ripped the bag open and shoved a handful of chips in his mouth while he sat back down and started to click away at the newly downloaded files. With a few more clicks he was done, and reached over to grab his headset, putting it on and moving the mic closer to him. One last click and he was in. 

“Oh wow Seven! Your new skin is amazing!!” a familiar cheerful voice said through the headset. 

“Yah, sorry I’m late, took a little time to get it added.”

Yes, nearing ten pm, Saeyoung had logged into LOLOL and adopted his online persona, God 707, affectionately called Seven by those in his guild. The guild that Yoosung helped run, and had invited him to join when they met up a few weeks back and immediately bonded over the online sensation. They found themselves playing often after work, though not this week, and Saeyoung had to admit that “Shooting Star” was actually pretty good, he wasn’t all talk. Saeyoung wasn’t going to lie, it was nice to find someone who he shared an interest with, even though Yoosung seemed to put a lot more stock in his overall ranking. 

“Slow internet?”

“Nahhhhh I just wanted to grab a snack.”

“Don’t tell me you have more chips!”

“Then I won’t.”

“I can hear your smirk. You need to bring me a bag sometime next week. I’ll pay double for it!”

Saeyoung just laughed as they strolled through the town, looking for battles to join so they could level up before their next raid. “Hmmmmmm I’ll see if you’re deserving of them!”

Yoosung sent a crying emoji over the chat and Saeyoung sighed, “I need to make you some stickers. You are a part of the neighborhood now.”

“Huh?”

“Ah nothing. You’ll see.” 

They played for a bit, the two of them shouting to the other to look out, asking for help healing, and more and after thirty minutes where they had gained 4 levels each Saeyoung started to talk again. 

“I had a random question Yoosung....”

“Yah?”

“Your hair. I think I saw brown roots last week, do you dye it?”

Yoosung fell quiet for a moment before groaning, “Augh yes, and I know my roots showed last week! I ended up dyeing them after our happy hour, I had the dye at home I just was lazy.”

“Oh ho ho! So our darling Yoosung isn’t a natural blond! The only follow up to that is; Why do you dye it?!” Even though Saeyoung ha been his usual teasing self, nothing out of the ordinary for the red head, Yoosung fell silent on the other end of the connection. The two kept moving through the game, and while Saeyoung would have normally assumed that the connection had been dropped he could still hear Yoosung’s breaths and could hear him tapping on the keyboard, and the lack of silence scared him. “Yoosung,” he started but was immediately cut off. 

“My cousin had hair this color. Natural though, unlike anyone in my family. I guess that makes sense, she was adopted after all.” Saeyoung stayed silent as Yoosung kept talking in between looking up weapons in the shop they had found themselves in. “My family were well, estranged from her parents, I’m still not too sure why. We had never met her, and she came into our lives rather suddenly, but she encouraged me like no one had before. I was just about to enter college, and she seemed so proud that I had gotten into a top school, she always praised how hardworking I was. I didn’t want to let her down, so I worked hard when I first got in. Her praise just kept me going.”

They exited the shop and continued to wander around the game, Saeyoung almost feeling like they were truly walking side by side, him silently listening as Yoosung continued to unload. “I met V around that time too. He was very caring, and I envied their relationship. They seemed perfect, so devoted and in love. He always talked about how I had a natural talent for picking things up, and when I one day expressed interest in his career he offered to teach me anything I wanted to know. I’m not sure if she necessarily liked that though, or maybe she just wanted me to stay focused on school, cause she always kept telling me that education was important. V went to a top school though, and chose to be a tattoo artist though, so that always confused me. But anyway.”

“So you dyed your hair to be more like her?” Saeyoung asked. 

Yoosung nodded, well, Saeyoung assumed he nodded from the background noise he heard from his mic moving, and answered, “Basically. She’s just, not in our lives anymore.” He strung out the last word, obviously unused to talking about this and they fell into silence once again.

“I’m sorry, Yoosung,” Saeyoung whispered, and he thought that he hadn’t heard him before he heard a soft laugh on the other end. 

“Thanks Saeyoung. I haven’t talked about with someone in a long while. V doesn’t want to talk about it anymore, which I understand, but to be honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever know the full truth of why she’s gone since he hides so much from me, but I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“If it makes you feel better, I think you’re gullible, not a kid.”

“Hey! Augh! Let’s just get on with this, we have a raid in an hour.”

“Ok, God 707 is ready for battle!”

The two started to move to the fields, hoping to gain some experience points when Saeyoung spoke up. 

“I do have a question though, if I can ask.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s your cousin’s name?”

“Rika!”

Saeyoung covered his mic to take a sharp breath, quickly recovering. “Ah, interesting name.”

“Saeyoung, thanks for listening. Now let’s go!!”

Saeyoung laughed, but his face was completely devoid of emotion. As they ran off to the fields, he glanced over his shoulder, eyes landing on a shut door. Just like the room, the person within it had completely shut down and shut anyone out, and with one simple name, Yoosung had confirmed Saeyoung’s worst fear. 

The past was coming back. Though they tried so hard, so damn hard, they couldn’t escape.

He could only pray that his brother would find peace. Everything else was up to Saeran.


	20. Chapter 20

“I want to host a party.”

“What?”

“A block party. We close off the streets, have food stands, drinks, booths for the other shops so they can sell or advertise, and then a silent auction with prizes donated by the stores where all proceeds will go to charity.”

“You know this is a huge endeavor, correct?”

“Obviously, which is why I’m mentioning it to you now. I floated this idea past a few people and they seem interested, I figured we would need your permission and permits and stuff though so I wanted to discuss this with you before I took any next steps.”

Jumin stood in the second floor of _______’s shop, arms crossed and brow furrowed, hand between his eyes as he took in her proposal. When he had received a text the day before from her asking to meet to discuss something on he had no idea what to expect, but even he could admit this was the furthest thing from his mind. 

“I don’t even know how to respond to be frank. When do you want to host this? Who would provide the tents, the tables? Who would acquire any permits, work with the city to close off the street?” He removed his hand from his brow and gestured as he looked back to her, almost demanding that she provide an answer this moment. 

“I believe it would be best to host this at the end of summer. The reason for this is that people will be in town preparing their kids for school, they won’t be on vacation. For tables and what not, I was doing some numbers this past weekend and it wouldn’t be too expensive to rent tables or tents for the stores, and some would even be able to provide tables themselves. I have some funds tucked away to help anyone who can’t risk the investment. I have done some preliminary research on what’s needed for permits and know what’s needed at a high level, I just don’t understand som of the logistics to it, and frankly, some of the legal jargon. Our street also doesn’t have heavy traffic, so I doubt there would be any opposition to us closing off.”

She had put in the work, he should have known that. When he had first met ________ she seemed a little unsure of what she was getting herself into, but at the end of their meeting he knew she would be a wonderful tenant, and that she would stick by her shop. He hadn’t seen ambition like hers in ages, and he admired the tenacity and drive she had. It also didn’t hurt that she had gone into the showing and meeting prepared; she was ready to negotiate and knew her worth- and the worth of other properties similar to this one, she wasn’t going to be scammed. 

He sighed, “Let me guess, Zen has agreed.”

“Well, Sei agreed and Zen said he would help and then Jaehee joined, obviously.”

“It would not be obvious to me that Ms. Kang would agree to something like this.”

“Hmm, definitely understand that, but she agreed. Do you need me to show the texts?”

“No, I don’t need a glimpse into your private conversations. I trust she’s done the calculations on her own to determine it’s worth it to join in.”

_________ laughed as the electric kettle whistled behind her and turned back to it, preparing tea for them as she gestured for him to sit down at the table. He joined her and took the drink she offered as she continued speaking. “Sei has already offered to help, and he’s been here decades, back when your father actually came around, so if he’s involved I would assume that most of the street would. Nearly every person has something they could offer for the auction, and since those winnings would go to charity that shouldn’t be a cause for concern.”

“I caught that comment about my father, ________,” Jumin warned as she simply smiled back at him, “But you have definitely done your work in regards to the next steps needed.”

“Yup!” She agreed with another smile as she took a sip. “What we would need help with is getting the word out. We can use our businesses social media presences, can ask our own neighbors and post flyers, but the best way to gather support would have to a much large presence in traditional media, and support from one of the largest companies around.”

Jumin looked up over his glass, his eyes narrowing. There it was, there was the catch. “You are asking me to help with that part, aren’t you?”

“C&R Realty already has such a huge presence! Billboards, print ads, radio, tv spots, any modicum of that type of exposure could really help!”

He wove a quick hand, stopping her in her tracks. “I get it. You need me to use C&R funds to advertise a small neighborhood party. How would this benefit us?”

“You’d be helping your tenants, which would help you since you’d look like an absolutely wonderful landlord, which you are, but more people would want to do business with you and since you already have such a large holding of buildings this would only help you in the long run. And c’mon Jumin! Helping small businesses? A charity auction? How could this hurt?”

The two stared each other down, Jumin calculating the best outcome of this discussion while _______ looked at him anxiously. It was obvious that she had put work into this, and this wasn’t just a casual whim she had come up with over the past weekend. He could imagine her, the idea coming into her head out of nowhere, how she wouldn’t be able to hide her excitement and would jot down the idea to remember later as she was prone to do during happy hour, and then spending the time to look into it before she even contemplated reaching out to him. 

“What charity?”

“I have a few in mind, a neighborhood restoration group, food bank, children’s charities, all local. I would get the vote of everyone in the neighborhood, and it’s possible that we could divide the money between multiple ones if there’s enough of a divide in who to support.”

“How much do you even suspect you’d earn?”

________ fell silent at that, and then sighed, leaning forward on her elbows as she confided in Jumin. “That, I can’t tell you. All depends on whether people show up to bid you know? Sei’s idea for a prize is great, a private wine tasting session with a top rated sommelier, he even said he’d offer a separate one for spirits, Jaehee’s still deciding but she thought of a latte art class, along with gift cards, and I’ve come up with some good ideas in case people can’t think of anything for their own shop. I have a few ideas for myself too, just have to pin them down. Having cohesive advertising would help, but I do think we’ll have to do individual outreach to, well, rich people we know if we want to raise a lot of money.”

Jumin could understand the conundrum there. She obviously wanted to help, but was realistic about what could be done if it was simply a neighborhood affair, and if they just got word out by their BookFaces or Tweeters. After a few more moments of thinking, and mainly of just looking at her drink her tea, nerves obviously setting in, he nodded affirmatively. “I think this is a good idea. We have to tweak the plans a little, determine the interest of the residents, prepare a timeline, set a final date, but we can work on that and then present the final plan to the neighborhood.”

“Really?!” She exclaimed, looking up from her tea and staring at him with wide excited eyes. 

“While I do most of the, well, heavy work for the company my father does have the final decision, so I will have to run this by him before we start that, but I feel like he’ll have a soft spot for his idea. And if not, a simple meeting between him and Sei should straighten any doubts out.”

“Thank you!!” _______ shouted as she lurched forward and immediately wrapped Jumin in her arms for a hug. As soon as she touched him though she pulled back, eyes wide in horror. Jumin was shocked by the action, as she usually was composed and professional around him. Excitable yes, physically affectionate no. Looking at her fluster around for a moment, he was amused when she threw her hand out and shouted, “Umm actually, ah, thank you so much! Mr. Han, I can’t um... I look forward to collaborating on this event with you!”

He looked to her hand, back to her, back to her hand again, and after a second simply chuckled as he wrapped his in her’s and gave it a firm shake. Yes, he was thrown off by the hug, but he knew that was simply her, the neighborhood’s ever open and ever enthusiastic artist. “I want to have a name to give my father for the event so he has an idea of what we’d be putting against our name. Do you have any ideas?”

________ thought for a moment before pulling a small notepad out of her smock and flipped through. Landing on a page, she started to rattle off ideas, Jumin shaking his head no to some, tilting it in consideration to others, and contemplating hand on chin to those that had a slight ring to it. Nothing really stuck though, and he was about to ask her to stop before his blood froze when she gave her final idea. 

“Since this is a neighborhood event, I kind of liked something like “Resident’s First Association presents the 1st Annual Block Party, or RFA for short.”

“Absolutely not,” he sharply and suddenly in as stern and cold a voice she had ever heard from him.

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” she said, voice dropping as she pulled the notebook towards her, obviously offended by his outright rejection. 

Jumin found himself struggling for words as he continued to stare at her. She looked like a kicked puppy, and he could only imagine that he looked irritated, or worse, even angry. “It’s just,” he started, trying to figure out what to say next, “There’s already an association with that acronym. I don’t think we should use it.”

“I searched online and couldn’t find anything that used it in this area, it also shows that this is a home grown event, not a big production,” she said as she tried to defend her choice but Jumin just shook his head aggressively. 

“No, that’s final.”

The two found themselves once again sitting in silence, ________’s arms crossed tightly against her chest as she held the notebook. Feeling that had gone on long enough she stood up, “Looks like we’ll have to discuss this. I’m sure you can bring up this idea to your father without a name. I’ll work on some ideas and ask the others for help, we should be able to come up with something by the end of the week.”

Nodding, Jumin followed her as she walked down the stairs and towards her door. Standing before it, he turned to her, wanting to say something but not knowing what he could say, if it was even his place to say anything. He opened his mouth but she started speaking, beating him to it. 

“I’m really excited about this Jumin. Thank you so much for agreeing to help.”

She held her hand out to him once again and he looked up to see a soft smile on her face, her gratitude truly expressed even though they had just argued. He took her hand in his, and then placed his other atop it, shaking firmly as he gave her a rare smile back. 

“I look forward to collaborating with you on this project in the future.”

She laughed, dropping her hand as she nodded, “Same Jumin. We’re going to make this amazing.”

“Next steps?”

“I know that Saeyoung and Yoosung will be in if I ask, I have to talk to Saeran and Jihyun though. They’re a lot more... pragmatic and might need some convincing. I also haven’t talked in Jihyun in over a week. I’ll start with them and then reach out to the other shops, I expect they’ll be easier to woo.”

Jumin immediately noted that she had called him Jihyun and not V, and while he wanted to raise his eyebrows and ask when that had changed he held back and simply gave one last nod and a smile before chuckling, “Good luck,” and walking out, looking back to see ________ in the window giving him a friendly wave goodbye. As he started walking to Jaehee’s, wanting a cup of coffee before he called a car, he stopped in front of his dear friend’s store and looked in. It was still the early morning, so seeing it closed was nothing surprising, but he could only sigh as he looked at the door and turned away. 

“Jihyun, what the hell happened since we last talked,” he muttered as he started his walk again. His friend had been hiding from him again and he was at his wit’s end about it. He couldn’t help if he didn’t know what was happening, although he was sure that Jihyun would just reject any offering of assistance. Hearing her call him by his first name was a development he hadn’t expected, and he was surprised by what had to have been his friends request to call him by that. 

As he made his way down the block he kept going back to the name she had suggested. 

“Of all damn names you could have favored ________,” he muttered again as he looked into a store’s window without emotion. “Rika, I bet you’re happy that we still think of you constantly. No matter what, you’re always going to be there, aren’t you?” 

Staring at his reflection, cold and unfeeling as he always portrayed himself, he saw his shoulders sag and his posture worsen, eyes looking unfocused and confused for a moment before he turned on his heel again and sped up his pace, refusing to look at himself again.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi Jihyun!  
I wanted to know if you had time to meet up later?  
Have a proposal for you.  
Let me know!**

With a sigh, ________ read over the messages once again and slightly cringed.

“That kind of sounds weird,” she muttered, pocketing her phone before blushing slightly at what she had sent. “At least I didn’t say proposition or something. You’re just overthinking this.”

While her talk with Jumin had been productive, she knew he was correct in saying that this wouldn’t be able to lift off the ground unless she had more support. She knew that Saeran and Jihyun were going to be the toughest to convince, if only for the fact that their last meetings had ended up ending so poorly. But out of the two, she felt that Jihyun would be the best to approach first.

She still didn’t know what to say to Saeran.

Shrugging to no one in particular, she picked up a box in storage and moved to the front, opening it up and starting to restock some canvases that had been cleared out after her last watercolor class. Ensuring everything was neatly put in place helped distract her, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the auction and the potential charities they could donate to. There were so many things she could do- a gift certificate to a paint night, a private lesson, but none of them sounded like ideas that would draw a large crowd with just as large pockets.

Yes, it was selfish of her to want to raise as much money as possible but while she felt a little uncomfortable about advertising this in a way so that wealthier people would attend she also didn’t care. This wasn’t about them.

The box now empty, she stood up and started to break it down before she looked around the room, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping like a fish for a moment when it finally struck her. As she was about to rush behind the counter to jot down this idea she felt a vibration in her pocket, and quickly pulled it out to see that Jihyun had responded.

She flustered about, still holding the box as she ran behind the counter and tried to pull out her notepad and pen all while her eyes were completely focused on her phone.

 ****_Good to hear from you, ________._  
And of course, I’d love to hear what you have.  
I can come to you, how does 6:30 work?

As she flipped through the pages to get to a blank one she grinned like a fool, nodding as she typed back a response as if he could see.

**Totally!  
You can come in, the closed sign will be up but I’ll be on the second floor.**

She went back to her notepad, a giddy laugh falling from her as she started to write down her newest idea and all of the possibilities it could have. She felt the vibration of her phone through the countertop and looked over and smiled even wider at his response that flashed on screen.

**_Perfect, see you then._ **

“Alright! Now, gotta write this down before I forget!” she said excitedly to no one, losing herself in her plans until the next customer walked in. This idea was gold, she was sure of it. 

 

6 rolled around and _______ flipped the sign on her door, closing earlier for the day as she wanted to spend some time at her easel, which she had been ignoring ever since she got sick. Sitting down in front of one of her cheaper canvases, she sighed as she looked at it, her mind running a mile a minute before she simply started to paint a coat of white over it, covering it completely as she tried to settle down on something to paint. 

 “I don’t even know where to start, I just need to, I don’t know… guess it’s some ‘happy little trees’ for now to just zone out.”

“And what exactly are those?”

She nearly fell off her stool upon hearing Jihyun’s voice and turned to him, eyes wide. “How long have you been here?!”

“Oh, did you say something embarrassing?” He teased, walking over to her side as he looked at her palette and back to her, a gentle smile on his face.

She felt her neck reddening, her tell-tale sign of embarrassment, as she muttered, “I just talk to myself while working, so it’s only embarrassing depending on what you heard.”

He laughed, pulling up a chair next to her, his head resting near her hips as she looked down at him. “I only heard you talk about ‘happy little trees’ and would love to know exactly what that means,” he said as he looked up at her, and she felt her nerves melting away in seconds. The way he looked at her was so sweet, so tender, and she felt herself wanting to open up to him in every way, and wanting him to feel comfortable enough to do the same for her. But that would take time, she knew that, so she simply laughed and picked up her brush, dipping into the white as she turned back to the canvas. 

“Well, I did tell you about my dear friend Bob Ross when you came to visit me while I was sick.”

“Oh, so a friend of your’s has a tv show? That’s wonderful!”

She laughed as she applied one last coat of white, ensuring it was evenly spread across. “I mean, I do think of him as a friend, but I definitely need to send you a link to him. I feel like you guys have a similar vibe, or at least, could, if you had an Afro.”

“Afro? Jumin knows a hairdresser who’s famous for that, although I don’t know if I could pull off that style.”

He answered so earnestly that she broke into laughter again and while he looked immensely confused she just shook her head and hand before dropping her brush. “I really do need to give you a crash course in him. Don’t worry, it will happen one day. But! On to why you’re here!”

“I won’t lie, I was surprised by your text.”

The mood fell for a moment, but she wasn’t going to allow that, nodding her head side to side before she spoke. “Definitely came out of nowhere, I agree with that. But before we get to what I invited you over for, I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you did that Friday. The fact that you just dropped your day to take care of the kids, and that you had them make something for me, I just can’t begin to express how that makes me feel. I have to thank you again.”

She smiled down at him and could have sworn that the look on his face had turned to reverence for a moment before he shook his head. “I didn’t do much,” he started and she put a finger up directly to his lips. 

“While it might not seem much to you it means the absolute world to me. So let me thank you, Jihyun.”

She dropped her finger and smiled at him again and he simply just nodded, obviously unsure as to how to take the praise as he looked down at his hands and back at her painting. “You’re welcome,” he whispered and she snuck a glance his way, saddened by the still confused look on his face as he looked at her blank canvas. 

“Alright then, back to why you’re here,” she said as she turned fully to him, leaning on her knees and placing her head in her hands. 

“Ah yes. What do you have in mind?” 

“I wanted to host a neighborhood block party that we would open up to the public. It’d be a nice little celebration of our street and what we have to offer.”

“That sounds lovely, what were you thinking it would be like?”

“Well, I would want to break it into two parts; the first would be a street fair where the various shops have stands and can sell products or advertise. They would basically break even and then any profit would go to a nonprofit of the neighborhood’s choosing. I want everyone who participates to have a say in that.”

“You want the other’s to be able and get their name out, essentially some free marketing, correct?”

She shrugged, “Well, not entirely free, we’d have to put some money into it, but we could charge a small fare to enter if needed. I still have to crunch some numbers, definitely need to work on these details.”

“If you need any help with that you could always ask Jumin.”

“Oh yes! I already talked to him this morning, which is why I reached out to you. He said he could help with getting the street closed off and any advertising that might be needed. I do think he wants me to come up with a full proposal though, so I’m trying to gauge interest before I go full steam ahead.”

“It sounds like you’ve already put in a lot of work, it’s admirable. I’m unsure as to what I could do though,” V said and ________ nodded in response.

“Yes, definitely understand that you don’t really need, or want, to advertise your business. You get enough requests as it is. That’s where the second piece of the event comes in.” She took a deep breath before quickly saying, “I want to host a silent auction, and I would love if you could contribute one of your photographs to it. I know you’re mainly known for your tattoos, but your photos are absolutely wonderful, and I had read that you used to host gallery events for them. Your work is amazing, and I bet there are people who would love to have it.”

She looked over to him, unsure of what his reaction would be but she was completely taken aback by the conflicted look that was on his face, how his mouth was slightly open as he tried to form words before he simply shut it again and looked up at her. “I would love to help you in any way possible,” he said, his voice slightly cracking in the middle of the sentence and ________ immediately leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“What is it?” she said softly as she looked at him, desperately wanting to know what was running through his head but terrified that anything she would do would push him away.

He just shook his head and looked back up at her with a smile, “I guess I just am not used to the praise.” He knew that she knew that he was lying, that something else was eating at him, and judging by the look on her face she was doing everything she could to not ask him what was happening. He wasn’t able to hide, and he felt his smile faltering under her gaze.

“Jihyun, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, you can say no. You have no obligation to anyone but yourself, you know that right?”

She had pressed forward and asked and he sat there, the heat from her palm radiating through his sweater and onto his shoulder unable to answer. He was thinking of himself, and of obligation, of duty and of commitment and the fact that she had told him he could say no had left him a little shaken. He could say no, couldn’t he? She was right, he could say it at any point, could have said it at any point, could have changed the path of his life and others with a simple word and yet he never had.

She lifted her hand off his shoulder and he immediately missed it before she nodded and turned to her canvas, twisting to grab the palette and the stand she used and bringing it in front of them as she moved over to the left and gestured for him to move in closer. Confused again, he followed suite as she picked up a brush and handed it to him and then picked up a tube of paint and looked back at the canvas.

“Haven’t been on a large stage in a while, have you?” she asked as she squeezed out a small amount of dark blue paint. When he didn’t respond she looked over at him, eyes prompting him to answer as she picked up her own brush and applied the lightest amount to the ends, immediately going to the canvas and spreading it out in a crosshatch pattern, blending it out and down the canvas, leaving one half blank.

“Ah,” Jihyun said, realizing that she was leaving half of it for him and he followed her steps, working on the other half, feeling a little calmer as he focused on that and able to speak freely. “You’re right. I used to be demanded, celebrities would call me begging to jump my wait list, magazines would reach out and ask to write profiles on me, other tattoo artists wanted to apprentice with me, learn more about my style, there was constant pressure.”

“I can only imagine. You seemed to keep your life rather private though for someone who was so sought after.”

“That wasn’t without its difficulties.” He looked over after he mimicked her side to see that she was back to the blue and applying the same amount, now moving to the bottom half and simply brushing across horizontally and immediately copied. “People would reach out constantly, they always wanted to know more and more. I didn’t want people prying into our life.”

“Your’s and Rika’s?” she asked, not looking at him as she pushed around the paints in the box to her side, pulling out various shades of sienna, brown, and grey.

Her concentration elsewhere, she didn’t notice Jihyun pause mid-stroke before finishing and nodding.

“Yes. I didn’t want the danger of fame to hurt her, I didn’t want her to be exposed to any of the awful things that could come from it. But look at that, I ruined this,” he said, pointing to the harsh line that came from his pause.

“Understandable that you wouldn’t want to expose someone you loved to that,” ________ said as she handed him another brush, this time covered in white, and began to paint in tiny little circles, starting to create the shape of a cloud before she continued, “And you didn’t ruin it. We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” Looking back to him, she nodded at the painting and he followed her actions, thinking on the last thing she had said. “But sounds like you were worried about her.”

“I did everything I could to protect her. I ran my clients by her, I would get her opinion before every interview, everything was for her, whatever she wanted I would do.” As he focused on creating his own cloud similar to _______ he missed how her eyes had widened ever so slightly as he had spoken about their relationship, her face going back to a neutral gaze as he continued to speak.  “She loved my work though, so she always wanted me to create more. Every photo I took, every tattoo I designed, it was for her.”

She swiped the brush from his hand when he had paused and picked up her knife, dipping it into an incredibly dark brown and cutting a tiny piece onto it before she looked at the canvas for a moment and then pressed it down, quickly moving it and saying, “We’re going to be making a mountain. Just cause I feel like it. You’ll take this and can press the paint into the canvas and create your own ridges. To get more paint you just do this,” she moved back to the palette and added more paint before handing it to him, and gesturing to the canvas.

“I can’t,”

“Shhhhhhh, just go with it. Do what feels right,” she said and he nodded, moving to the canvas and immediately beginning to work with a skill that ________ was impressed by. “Have you painted with acrylics before?”

He flustered a bit before nodding, “Not in a long time, but yes.”

“I’ve seen your work with ink, but I’m impressed at how you use this medium,” she said softly before continuing, “So even at your peak of fame, you really tried to lay low.”

“Yes. Fame was never my goal anyways, I wanted to create something that would speak to people across languages, cultures. I think that’s what Rika liked about me, that people were drawn to my work.”

“It seems like you drew a lot of inspiration from her.”

“She was the reason behind nearly every decision I made. She would tell me what to do for my work, would tell me what to change, what to say. She was my muse, my reason for life.”

He had finished making the shape of the mountain and she took the knife from him, immediately adding some siennas and browns to it, creating some depth in the painting as he continued to talk openly. “She was what drove Yoosung to be great. Even Jumin found himself opening up more because of her, she was truly amazing. But I feel like now that she’s gone I’m not a good friend to Yoosung, that I haven’t been kind to Jumin, that I can’t replace what she was.”

It had fallen silent as he stopped speaking and watched her quickly work on the painting, moving from creating depth and light to adding white to the mountains and its peaks. He was fascinated by the concentration she had as she worked, the way her face was still soft and gentle yet entirely focused on her actions and constantly scanning over the painting. She slowly started speaking though when she went to pick up a smaller brush and swept over the white quickly, spreading it across before handing it to him to copy her action and finish the rest, “I can tell they are precious to you, and I know they must feel the same too or else they wouldn’t be by your side. And you’re right, you can’t replace her. But you are your own person, with your own talents and dreams. While you might be nervous to step out again, I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide away forever. You’ve already taken a huge step by opening your shop again, I know you can accomplish a lot more.”

She stopped speaking as he put down the brush and looked up at her slightly in awe as he lifted his glasses onto the top of his head. Realizing that he was looking at her with a newfound curiosity she quickly reddened and tried to back track, “But I’m just a stranger giving unsolicited advice! I,”

She went to apologize but he just laughed and looked up at her so gently, with such a genuine smile, that she felt her heart beat heavily in her chest. “You’re not a stranger, _________, you’re a friend. And if you believe in me so steadfastly I guess it wouldn’t hurt to believe in myself.”

A wide smile spread across her face. Smile still there, she said, “You should believe in yourself, Jihyun. Believe that you can do it because you can do it!” 

“You’ve inspired me so much in just one afternoon. Where did you get this view on life?”

“Well, a lot of those ‘inspirational quotes’ are directly from the man Bob Ross himself. His show was about painting, but it was about so much more. Growing up I would always watch his show if it was on, I think that he was really my first inspiration to pick up painting, or to just create and persevere in general. My parents realized that I was practically glued to the tv when he was on, and they ended up giving me my first paint set.” She laughed as she thought back on it, before turning to Jihyun, “I think they just wanted me to do something instead of just constantly stare at the screen, but those hours helped me figure out a lot about life too!”

Jihyun laughed along with her, imagining a young _________ sitting and intensely staring along, finishing the piece and proudly showing it to her family. “I have a vivid image of how you must have looked doing that, and what you were painting.”

“Oh gosh, they were bad at first,” she laughed, pulling out her phone and scrolling before she handed it to him. There was a photo of a photo with her standing in a plain living room in front of an easel in front of the tv, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she stood there, paint all over her arms and hands. On the tv was who he assumed had to have been Bob Ross, a kindly looking older man with an afro unlike any he had ever seen, a soft smile on his face as he stood before one of the more beautiful forest scenes he had seen lately.

Yes, her own version wasn’t perfect, but there was nothing bad about it. It was honest ambition and love and pure joy.

“This is such a beautiful photo,” he said as he looked up to her, eyes full of admiration. She was fascinating, and he wanted to get more glimpses into her life like this. He handed her phone back to her before deciding once and for all he was going to be a part of this party no matter what. “Thank you for helping me rearrange my thoughts. Look at what we were able to create together in just 20 minutes due to your guidance. I want to help you, in any way I can, _________. I think the party is a wonderful idea, sorry for shutting down earlier. Just nervous about putting my work out into the world.”

“I’m so glad you were able to relax! And honestly, I was just redoing one of Bob’s lessons from memory, I’ll send you a link to where you can watch it. As for the party, I’ll be here to support you! If you have any qualms about it you can always let me know. And either way, I hope you come and have a good time regardless.”

“I plan on helping, but will definitely be there either way.”

“Good! I have a few confirmations, now just have to figure out what to name this event,” ________ mused as she looked back to their slightly unfinished painting and then down to her phone. 

“A name?”

“Yeah, for advertising purposes,” she said as she scrolled through her phone. “I had some ideas, but Jumin shot them all down. I was kind of mad about one to be honest, I thought it was really good.”

“Oh really, what was it?”

“RFA, or Resident’s First Association. I liked it, Jumin was adamant about not using it, apparently there’s already an organization with that name.” She emphasized her point by rolling her eyes and shrugging before she turned back to her phone

Jihyun sat there absolutely dumbstruck. It was like a ton of bricks had dropped from the sky, he was immobile as he stared at her, totally unaware of his delayed response as she was engrossed in her phone. “Well,” he said after a second, “RFA… Jumin must have had his reasons to suggest we use something else, he is practical like that.” 

“I guess. Something seemed off about it though, like he was personally upset not professionally.” She looked up to him as she dropped her phone into her smock’s pocket voice raising slightly as she pointed at him, “I’ll just have to keep working on it. You better not tell him I said this though! I know you’re best friends.”

He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when she dropped the subject and turned back to the painting, trying to hide the grimace he wanted to wear when he felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out, only to see a text from ________. “Well, I won’t tell him, but what is this?”

“I sent you the link to the episode I used to kind of spur this painting! You can find more of his work there, and I think Netflix has it. You’ll have to tell me what you think of him!”

Looking at her smile as she now turned back to the paining he nodded firmly, pushing away his other thoughts and making a promise to himself that he would sit down and watch this man if he meant so much to her. “Thank you for sending me this, I’ll start watching tonight,” he said as he put his phone back in his pocket and she stood up. 

“Don’t stay up too late watching, or well, make sure you’re somewhere comfortable if you’re just going to watch, he can definitely help lull someone to sleep with how calm he is!” She laughed as she started to gather the brushes in hand. He looked around, trying to find something to do to help and she shook her head. “I’m just going to wash these and then head out for the evening, don’t worry!”

“Well, should I throw this out? I feel bad you used a canvas for this mess,” he said as he motioned to their painting and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped and he immediately panicked as he thought over his words. 

“Jihyun don’t you dare throw that out! I’m keeping it!”

“Why, it’s half finished, and my work is amateurish,”

“Nah ah ah! We don’t talk down our work in this space. Regardless, I absolutely loved spending time with you working on this, and I want to keep it.”

The silence grew between them again as they stood there, a smile on her face and a small one slowly spreading across Jihyun’s as he took her in. She truly was unlike any other, the way she pushed through criticism, the way she could encourage someone even if they doubted themselves. 

“Well, looks like I’ll have to watch this Bob and come back when I’m ready to try another scene,” he finally said, to which she simply nodded. 

“My door’s always open! And I do hope you enjoy him.” The two started to walk downstairs and she led him to the door, holding her hand out to him just like she had for Jumin hours earlier. “Thank you again for coming over, ad thank you for agreeing to help with the party! I’m looking forward to continuing to work with you!”

With a laugh he took her hand in his and immediately felt calm and secure. He felt his grip slightly tighten, and not in the way one firmly grasped to close a business deal. Standing there, their hand in the other’s without moving he could have sworn that her grip had tightened around his in the same manner, and he pulled away, stretching his fingers slightly in response to her touch. “I’ll see you later, _________. Have a wonderful evening.”

“You too!” She said with a wave as the door closed behind him. As the bell rang above the door, her smile fell and she looked down to her hand, stretching her fingers out before looking away and resuming her cleaning. 

She hadn’t imagined that they had held on a second too long, that they both deepened their grip, right?

 

 

Hours later, the clock struck midnight and Jihyun sat in a pitch black room, the only light coming from the tv as he finished his eighth episode of “The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross”. Tears silently rolled down his cheeks as he listened to the man’s words of encouragement, of believing in yourself, in processing grief. 

“Gotta have a little sadness once in awhile so you know when the good times come. I’m waiting on the good times now.”

Wiping his eyes, he pulled out his phone and pulled up _________’s contact. He wanted to call her, to hear her voice, but he shook his head and opened his texts. He didn’t deserve comfort, he didn’t deserve to hear a gentle voice, Rika would be so angry if she knew what he was thinking, if she knew that for a moment he had considered erasing any trace of her legacy, but he had to reach out to _________. Something called to him saying he had to. 

 ****_You were right, ________._  
He’s amazing.   
Thank you for introducing me to him. 

He dropped his phone and stood up, about to pour yet another glass of wine when his phone lit up, immediately drawing his attention. He picked it up, read it, and laughed to himself, walking through his too-large house filled with too many memories as he entered his bedroom. 

**I’m so glad, Jihyun.  
He’s so much more than just an art teacher, right?  
But it’s so late! You need to rest up! We’ll talk later about the episodes you watched. **

She was right, he needed to sleep. Thinking of the past, of every decision he had ever made and the path that led him to this point wasn’t going to help him. Getting under the covers, he typed out a quick message but immediately paused, eyes wide as he stared at what he had written before erasing it and composing another message. Upon hitting send, he tossed his phone to the side and rolled over, thinking back to the soothing voice of Bob Ross and the way ________ and him had sat side by side, desperately trying to ignore any memories of him and Rika that sneaked in before he finally drifted off to sleep.

 

Standing in her bathroom, ________ dropped her phone on the counter and started to brush her teeth when she saw the screen light up, knowing that he had to have texted back. She had been surprised to see a text come in from him so late, and was happy that he had been watching but was also wondering just how much he had seen, and just what he had watched to garner this reaction. 

**_You are very right. I’ve probably spent almost as many hours in front of the tv as you did daily as a child.  
I hope you rest well, and thank you again, __________. _ **

She smiled softly as she walked to her bedroom, reading the texts again and again. She could hear his gentle teasing in the first message, and she could hear him leaning in and earnestly giving her his thanks in the second. Slipping under her covers, she read over the messages once more and typed out a quick reply before immediately closing her messages, her eyes wide at what she had almost sent without a second thought. Her phone now on her nightstand, she rolled over and pulled the covers over her head, thinking of how they had worked so wonderfully and in sync together and pushing away thoughts of the woman who he had dedicated his life to, this controlling force called Rika, before she herself had fallen asleep. 

For both, that was easier than trying to process what they had nearly sent.

 ** _You’re amazing.  
_ You’re amazing.   
_Sweet dreams._  
Sweet** **dreams**.


	22. Chapter 22

The block party was moving full force ahead. 

Jaehee had mentioned it to Juwon, the owner of the bookstore who came in for his daily mocha, who had mentioned it to Hayoon who owned the antique shop next to his, who then brought it up to Yeeun and Minsoo, the couple who owned one of the restaurants on the block, who then told ________ that they were fully in when they dropped off their little Eunji for her class later that week. 

She had been a little overwhelmed by how positive the response had been, especially when her three ladies walked in and exclaimed how excited they were for it to come and that they had already been telling everyone about it. When she had exclaimed they hadn’t even set a date yet they had simply laughed and brushed that off, saying they knew she would be able to pull it off and that they would tell everyone once again when the date was set. She couldn’t lie, she was incredibly happy with the response so far, especially when Zen and Yoosung had burst in declaring they would do anything to help, but as the week went by she still hadn’t found the courage to reach out to the last shop. 

The Chois’ flower shop. 

It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried, per say. She had just walked up to the door one day and panicked when she saw Saeran’s back through the glass. When she tried again she had seen Seven instead, who looked a bit surprised to see her and that caused her to run away. Her anxiety was already gnawing at her, but her cowardice was frustrating her more and more, so on Thursday morning she got up early, threw her hair up into a ponytail, and after a deep breath nearly kicked open the door of their shop as she went in, ready to face her fears. 

She was instantly deflated though when she saw Seven and Saeran behind the counter arguing with Zen. The confidence she had forced herself to build up throughout the morning (“You got this,” as she ripped on her jeans, “You’re going to go in there and just ask him, point blank,” as she walked to the bus stop, “Hell yah they’re going to agree,” as she rode the bus) was ripped out when she found herself not alone like she had envisioned, and with a familiar face at that.

And since she hadn’t been so subtle with her entrance, having the three of them immediately whip their heads to see their newcomer led to all eyes being on her at once, which only worsened her resolve. Zen, the closest to her, immediately lit up when he saw her, his beautiful smile spreading across his face as he wove to her, Seven had looked a little surprised at first, but slowly gave her a warm smile, nodding to her once with a look that made her think he knew exactly why she was here, and Saeran? Well, Saeran had frozen on the spot, his face immediately blanching as he looked at her and his jaw dropping as his lower lip quivered. Stuck between the varying reactions, ________ wanted to puke, but she clenched her fist, forced a smile on her face, and walked over to them, not about to back down. 

“Morning!” She said, almost a bit too cheerfully as she made long strides until she was sided up next to Zen. 

“Good morning, beautiful!” Zen said cheerfully as he turned towards her, ignorant of Saeran who had completely turned about face and wasn’t even looking at her. 

Her stomach was in knots from the anxiety, but she pushed that down and carried on. “What are you doing here?”

“Well I wanted to bring you a bouquet to celebrate the success of the party!” He declared with a wide grin, “So I came here to the experts to get one created specifically to congratulate you!”

“Party?”

Saeran had finally looked at her, eyes full of confusion as he spoke up. _________ nearly dropped her head to the counter then, and went to explain but Seven cut in. “Yah, she’s planning a block party for the neighborhood! I must have forgotten to tell you.”

“How did you know?” She asked, slight exasperation in her voice at the way he was egging on the situation. 

“Oh, it’s the talk of the neighborhood, of course I heard.”

Saeran was standing there silent behind him, eyes downcast and she felt herself withering under the pressure of Seven and Zen’s chattering. “Should have expected this, sorry for not coming over sooner.”

“Wait, you hadn’t told them?” Zen asked and she nodded while shrugging. “Ah man, I’m sorry!”

“No, no way you could have known,” she smiled before turning back to the Chois. “So, I guess you can guess why I’m here then,” she said, the smile turning wry as her voice cracked a little. 

“Yup!” Seven said cheerfully continuing, “Well, you know I’m in, just let me know what to do Captain ________! Zen, come back here and help me pick flowers for our bouquet for her!” 

“Our bouquet?” Zen said incredulously, but he still followed him without question. As Seven held the door open for him he flashed a smile and a thumbs up to _________, and she felt a weight being lifted off her shoulder. He had planned this the moment he saw her step into the shop, hell, he probably had a semblance of this idea formed in his mind the second he found out about the party, something that would force her and Saeran together to discuss this through one of roundabout ways. 

It was very “Saeyoung”, but she couldn’t help but be thankful for that. 

But with the click of the door she was snapped back to reality. She shuffled from one foot to another before she looked at Saeran who was nervously shuffling himself. Opening her mouth to finally speak, she was surprised when he quickly stuttered out, “S-so, you’re hosting a party?”

“Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, Saeran.”

“No, I know why you wouldn’t want me there. I understand why you wouldn’t want to come near me,” he said weakly, turning away from her, and _________ nearly leapt over the counter to grab his arm. 

“Saeran, please,” she said as she pulled on him lightly, forcing him to turn to her though he still wasn’t looking her way. 

“But it’s true, you must hate me. I was so rude, so hateful, to you,” he whispered and she shook her head rapidly. 

“I told you then, there are a few things you could do to make me hate you but trust me when I say that wasn’t one of them.”

“I scared you.”

She fell silent because she couldn’t lie, he had scared her. She had felt so weak seeing him break down like that, seeing him adamant that absolutely nothing good could come from being near V and had been so scared upon realizing that this wasn’t some unfounded opinion of his, that there had to have been a reason for it. “You’re right,” she said slowly, trying to broach the subject as gently as she could. 

“See!”

“No, let me finish. You’re right, I was scared. I was so scared by how I didn’t know how to help you Saeran. I have never seen you like that and I didn’t know how to react. I should have come by sooner to talk about this. So I apologize.”

“You shouldn’t be apologizing, I was the one who screamed at you.”

Sighing, she leaned on her elbows and looked up at him. “You didn’t scream at me, please trust me when I say this Saeran. Can we just,” she faltered, one hand gripping on her hip and the other between her eyes as searched for the right words. “I didn’t realize that you felt the way you do about V, I really didn’t put much thought into your initial talk about him and that’s my fault. I wanted to apologize for that. I also wanted to come over to talk about the party, since it did grow faster than I had initially expected and I hadn’t yet reached out to you or Saeyoung. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the news would have made its way down here. Look Saeran, I’m sorry for avoiding you.”

It fell silent again as they both stared at each other before she stood back up straight and ran a hand through her hair, unsure of what she should do next. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come over to talk either, ________. I was humiliated by how I acted and didn’t know what to say to you afterwards,” Saeran said abruptly. 

“Looks like we both just didn’t know how to move forward, huh?” She answered with a chuckle, Saeran’s own soft laugh ringing out right after as they both visibly relaxed. 

“I would love to help with your party in any way I could, as a way to make it up to you,” he said and she was just immediately back to shaking her head. 

“There’s nothing to make up for, and I only want you to help if you’re interested! You don’t have to do things just because you think you have to, Saeran.”

She had been sitting through her bag to find her notebook when she had said that, but when she looked back to him he had fallen silent. Dropping her book on the counter, she reached across for him, expecting him to pull back as he had the entire morning but instead he had reached back out and was gripping her hand in his as tightly as possible. Visibly surprised, she looked at him about to ask but his smile was soft and his eyes determined. “I want to do this, __________. You’re right, I don’t have to but I want to do this. I also really want to do this because it’s your idea, and I can tell already that you are passionate about this. Is that such a bad thing?”

Silent again, she shook her head and smiled back at him, “Not a bad thing, I guess. I just want you to do what you want to Saeran. You’re so kind, I know that you would do anything I asked, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”

He dropped her hand and smiled back, pointing down to the book she had laid on the table. “So, what do you need me to do?” 

She brightened up again and started to flip through the pages, looking away from him as his face turned as red as his hair. Out of __________’s view he glanced down at his hand that had just been wrapped around her’s and flexed his fingers as the shock of his impulsive action read across his face. 

While it might have been out of _________’s view, Seven had been seated behind the door to the back with the perfect angle to keep an eye on his brother and friend. A small smile spread across his lips when he saw his twin look down at his hand in abject shock. He himself had been surprised to see his twin reach out so naturally for her, so he could only imagine what was running through the usually calmer twin’s mind at the moment. The smile grew as he saw Saeran fluster when she looked back up at him, pointing to a page in the book as she began to explain something about the party. Saeran had never been able to keep his cool around her, and to this day Seven was shocked that she hadn’t caught him in one of his less than composed moments. 

Well, other than when she had brought up V, but you couldn’t really call that ‘catching someone at a bad time’ if you were there for the build up and explosion.

“You said you would help me pick flowers but you’ve just been staring at them the entire time!” 

Seven was pulled out of his thoughts by the exasperated shouts of Zen. Turning to where he was standing, Seven burst out laughing at the arrangement that he had compiled so far. It was opulent and over the top just like the actor himself, but Seven couldn’t help but laugh even harder when he started to realize the flowers that he had gathered. 

“You cannot give anyone a bouquet with those.”

“Why? They’re stunning and gorgeous like me, so __________ will be reminded of my beauty when she sees them,” Zen responded, obviously offended at Seven’s straight shut down of his gift. 

“Yah, they are pretty, but once I tell her that the flowers mean, “Grief” “Beware” and “Deception” I think that she’ll be sad that you gave her a bouquet with that sort of meaning in honor of this party she’s working hard on,” Seven laughed. 

“WHAT?” Zen yelled and Seven laughed even harder as the actor went into a panic and started to look around at the other flowers in the back. Glancing over his shoulder one last time before finally helping his forlorn friend, Seven smiled as he saw Saeran taking notes of his own as _________ talked about the details for the party. It was good that they were talking again, but God Seven knew better than anyone that as long as they left things unsaid that Saeran was going to eventually lose control again, and that it would be worse each time. 

Especially if the mint haired man down the road continued to become a larger part of _________’s life.


	23. Chapter 23

“What do you think of this?”

“Hm, needs more cats.”

“We literally have nothing related to cats on this block, Seven.”

“Jaehee should turn this café into a cat café, imagine the increase in traffic!”

“A lot of enthusiasm but otherwise you sound just like Jumin right now…”

_________ and Seven sat side by side at Jaehee’s café, both staring at her laptop as she showed him the first round of flyers she had designed for the shops to have displayed in their windows or to hand out to customers. She had casually mentioned in a text to him that she was having difficulty with it, and after a comment by Seven about the irony of the artist having trouble with graphic design he agreed to take a look and give some pointers. It had only been a few days since her visit to Saeran but plans had rapidly moved forward and they were now days away from the official announcement of the event. 

Jumin had been pressing her more and more in the group chat to produce the first round of advertising and it was obvious that she was starting to freak out about the amount of work needed before they even announced it. When _______ had sent over her first drafts of the flyers Seven had been a bit surprised by how “corporate” they had seemed, and immediately knew he had to offer to help although he hadn’t been as gentle in his offering as he could have been. After a few jokes sent her way he realized that she was definitely feeling the pressure of putting on a wonderful event that people would come to. He wasn’t going to let her feel like she was floundering. 

“Have you thought about making a website?” He asked as she looked back at her screen. 

“I mean, I’ve thought of it, but you know that I don’t know anything about that,” she muttered as she started to move around the logo she had designed around the page before dropping it in the middle and letting out a loud groan. 

“Well, thankfully God Seven is here to make sure your party goes off without a hitch,” he declared as he turned his laptop to her and smiled wide. 

Glancing over, ________ let out a gasp as she looked at the website that Seven had constructed in seemingly minutes. “How?!” She exclaimed as he laughed and scrolled down the page. There were several sections already with a breakdown of the time and place of the event, links to the sites of everyone participating, a separate section for information on the silent auction, it was almost like Seven had thought of everything that would have been needed. “How did you do this so fast!?”

“Like I said, God Seven is here! Let’s not forget that web design is one of my many incredible skills,” he said as he laughed and flashed her a thumbs up. She continued to click through the site, head shaking in disbelief as he leaned precariously back in the chair, causing Jaehee to shout from across the cafe “Watch it!”. Watching her shoulders drop, he immediately knew that he had taken away a great stress from her and he was beyond happy to have been able to do something for her. She had pushed to have this event even considered, and he wanted to help her make this a success in any way he could. Pulling the laptop back to his side, he clicked through and pulled up Photoshop, turning that towards her again and watching with a goofy grin as her eyes widened again. 

“You made flyers too!” She shouted, causing Jaehee to flash a stern look their way after handing a customer their drink which led to the duo bursting into laughter again. 

“After seeing your first draft I got a sense of what you were going for, but I made them look more suited to a neighborhood event. Wanted them to look less rigid and more welcoming you know?”

She nodded as she clicked through the various samples he had pulled up, consistently impressed with each one before turning to him with a relieved smile, “Thank you so much, Saeyoung. I really hated what I had made, but you saved the event.”

“Hey hey hey, I don’t want to hear that! Your flyers were great! You’re just stressed and trying to push yourself into what you think is right versus what you usually do. I’m here to make sure you don’t doubt yourself,” he said with a smile, firmly patting her on the back for encouragement. 

“You’re right! I’m going to do exactly what I set out to do with this event and nothing will stop me!” She shouted as she pumped her fist into the air, causing Seven to laugh wildly. Being around her was amazing, she brought an energy into his life that he hadn’t known he needed until he had met her, and he was so happy that he could do this one little innocuous thing for her.

A soft voice pulled them out of that moment. 

“You look incredibly happy.”

________’s head immediately turned from him and to the new arrival, smile breaking out on her face again as she exclaimed, “Jihyun!” Eyes darkening slightly, Seven looked up at the newest resident, taking in the sight of him and ________ chatting amiably, not taking in a word they were saying. It was discomforting to see how comfortably their conversation flowed, how easy the smiles shared between them were. A storm of emotion threatened to rage inside of him the longer he looked, but he was swiftly brought from them by ________’s voice. 

“Oh gosh! I’m so rude! Have you two met?”

The two men looked at each other, both seemingly shocked by the abrupt address causing Jihyun to sheepishly shake his head. “I apologize, I don’t believe we have.”

“We’ve met,” Seven said quickly. He noted the way that _______’s eyebrow rose at that and turned to her, “The night you went home sick, he stopped by the bar. I said hi, but we didn’t talk that evening.”

“Ah, I apologize, I met a lot of people that evening.” He paused for a moment, taking a long hard look at Seven before he pulled back ever so slightly, eyes widening just barely, a movement that Seven saw but ________ had missed since she was still looking at the red head. 

“Well I did introduce myself by my third name so I’m not surprised you didn’t put anything together, V.” The smile that Seven gave V in the moment was absolutely chilling. His usually exuberant smile seemed hollow as V stared back with an equally empty look on his face, giving away nothing. 

“I apologize again then. You know who I am, so it’s only right that I learn your name,”

“Saeyoung.”

“Ah, Saeyoung,”

“Saeyoung Choi. Brother’s name is Saeran.”

V nodded once, “Ah, I remember now, you introduced yourself as Seven at the bar. I didn’t see your brother.”

“He was there. Just likes to keep to himself, you know how that goes.”

“I see.”

_________ had sat there silently as the two dispassionately conversed. It didn’t seem forced, yet there was something wildly uncomfortable about the way they were talking. She knew that Saeran had an issue with Jihyun, but seeing the way that Saeyoung was just brushing him off was incredibly disconcerting. Jihyun also seemed to be a little different in his tone. While usually withdrawn he still seemed especially monotonous, and hearing the two go back and forth made her more confused. She went to speak but Seven kept going. 

“Designing tattoos has to be fun.”

“I love creating something that resonates with a person.”

“Ever created something that the person ended up hating?”

“There’s always a chance someone ends up regretting it,”

“Must suck if you created something without knowing who it was for.”

“I make a point of learning about my clients,”

“But you probably have made something just cause someone asked without knowing if it ended up as a tattoo or not.”

“You’re right, I,”

“I bet your have left your mark on more people than you realize.”

Seven would speak and Jihyun would answer but Seven would cut him off again and when _________ finally went to speak Jaehee called out from across the shop and distracted all of them. 

“_________!! You have a class in 10! And Jumin is asking for the final draft in the group chat, I’m delaying for you!”

________ looked up, immediately forgetting everything that had just happened when she was snapped back to reality. “Oh crap! Thanks Jaehee!!” Jaehee threw a hand up to shoo her away as she started to gather all of her belongings, shoving them in her bag before turning to Seven. 

“I’ll send it all over to Jumin. What was your favorite of the 4?” He asked as he looked back at his laptop, ripping his gaze off of Jihyun. 

“Ahhh, 4,2,3, and 1, in that order. 4 was my favorite though, I liked that the event’s date and location were the highlight.”

“Perfect,” he responded as he typed away for a second before turning back to her with a wide smile as a “ping” came from his laptop. “Sent, Jumin has all that he needs now and you can run off and teach the future artists of tomorrow!”

“I owe you so so much,” she said as she leaned over and wrapped him up in a large hug. “Let me know how much to pay you for the site.”

“Nope, negative, not happening. This is a charity event, this is my charitable contribution.”

She gave him a smile he knew was only for him, one that was full of appreciation and genuine admiration. “Thank you so much, Saeyoung,” she said again as she stood up, throwing her bag over her shoulder and looking between the two. The silence between them was now palpable, but she couldn’t let this get to her, she wasn’t about to allow this to weigh on her mind any longer. She had to plan this event, she had to make it a success. That was what she would focus on. 

“I’ll text you later about the auction, Jihyun,” she said as she smiled at him. Walking to the door, she pushed it open and turned back to the two, giving them a large wave and shouting out “Have a good day!” to which Jaehee yelled “6 minutes!” before she ran down the block to her shop. 

Once she was out of sight Seven and V looked at each other, the silence growing between them before Seven kicked the chair out from under the table and gestured to it. “You can sit,” he said, and when V went to object Jaehee came over and placed his drink on the table before walking off. V looked back to Seven, concern on his face before he straightened his posture and slowly sat down, taking a sip of his drink before he finally looked back at his unexpected companion. 

“I didn’t recognize you before, you aren’t identical twins.”

“Used to be. Not anymore,” Seven answered, picking absentmindedly at the muffin before him. “We look closer than we did back then though. His hair is red again, just like mine.” Popping a small piece into his mouth, he shrugged, “I don’t expect you to really know what that he would look like though. You were really focused on well, other things, then.”

V nodded slowly, looking down at his drink silently before speaking, “I did recognize your names before I realized who you were.”

“I was sitting on the opposite end of the bar, where it was darker,” Seven said, mimicking V’s action and taking a sip of his PhD Pepper, dropping the empty can to the table with a clang before continuing, “You had to be paying really close attention to notice who I was.”

“I was flippant, I’m sorry.”

“Look,” Seven paused, pushing his glasses up atop his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t know what was going on, I wasn’t aware of what he had gotten himself wrapped up in. I trusted that he was ok, but he wasn’t. He had been led astray, lied to by someone he trusted. I know that’s what happened to you.” He sighed as he dropped his glasses back in place, “Difference is is that he’s trying to move on. Every day he’s working to better himself for himself. He isn’t hoping for some sort of salvation, he isn’t waiting for someone to wake up and apologize, he doesn’t want his old life back.”

Seven narrowed his eyes and looked back at V who had fallen completely silent and was just staring at the mug in his hands. “________ has been a large part of that. She was the first person to welcome us and the first person to accept us without having any reason to. I know she was the first one to do that for you too, so you should understand when I say she’s an angel. And that she doesn’t deserve to be wrapped up in any of our trauma.”

He abruptly stood up, slamming his laptop shut and quickly putting his hoodie on before he looked back down at V who had finally found it in him to look back at him. The silence grew between them before Seven picked up his laptop and shoved it under his arm. “I’m sorry for being so harsh, but we’ve made so much progress since then and I think you haven’t, and I don’t want Saeran to regress. That’s me being a good brother. What ever happened is between you two, but I don’t want ________ to get in the middle of it. That’s me being selfish. She takes the phrase “will give you the shirt off your back” seem like the least someone can do, but she shouldn’t have to deal with issues we could work on ourselves.”

V just nodded, and Seven kept starting at him before he sighed again. “Look, I get that she meant a lot to you. She meant a lot to him too. Just... don’t hurt _________. That’s all I ask.”

With that he walked out of the shop, not looking back as he crossed the street and entered the flower shop.

V sat silently in place before he slowly brought his mug to his mouth, drained it of its contents, and got up, sliding it across the counter before making his own quiet exit. As he walked down the street to his shop he kept his eyes down, his mind racing and speeding up with every step that he took. Finally getting to his shop, he looked up into the second story windows of ________’s shop and saw her back, leaning over to help a child with whatever they were learning before she stood up and gave the child a proud and loving smile. 

Out of nowhere she turned and looked out the window, glancing down to see him staring up at her and he immediately blushed, embarrassed at being caught but she simply broke into a wide smile and gave a small wave. He rose a hand and gave her one back, an awkward smile spreading across his face as she began to laugh. Seconds later the faces of some of the kids he had taught had appeared and they all waved wildly at him. A wide smile broke onto his face and he laughed along with ________, waving back to the kids before she shoo’ed them back to their desks. Looking back at him, she laughed and shrugged her shoulders before giving him one of the sweetest smiles he had been given in his life. He felt like time had stopped momentarily for the two of them, and he felt a huge pull towards her, but with a small nod she turned from the window and moved out of his sight, probably called away by a child who needed help. 

Feeling himself burn up again, he quickly turned back to his door and opened it, closing it behind him and rushing back to his office, locking that door behind him before he turned and looked at the photo frame that rested above his desk. Upon seeing the flash of golden hair all previous thoughts of ________ were gone and he was sent back to the revelation that had shocked him to the core only 10 minutes before. 

“You never wanted to hurt anyone, right?” He whispered, eyes darting over the photo, taking in every detail of Rika as he had done hundreds of times before. “That boy, you thought you were helping him, right? Was it because I didn’t love you strongly enough? Did I not love you the way you desired? Should I have done more to prove my love?”

He used to look upon that photo and weep, but this time his eyes rested on the smile she had on in that photo and he couldn’t help but compare it to the one _________ had given him. ________’s smile had been uninhibited, so affectionate and warm-hearted with eyes that matched. Rika’s seemed forced, while her eyes were almost taunting, as if she was in on some secret that she hadn’t deemed him fit to know. The difference was almost suffocating, but the realization that he had even dared to compare left him nauseous. 

“I just... Saeyoung was right, I don’t wan’t anyone else to be hurt because of me, especially her. I’ve hurt far too many already,” he whispered, walking over to the frame and turning it away from him, unable to continue looking into those bright green eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

The event’s announcement had been a wild success. Shop owners were coming by asking for more flyers, Seven had reported a huge amount of traffic to the website, a page to RSVP had encouraging comments on it, and word of mouth seemed to have spread this event to the most random of corners.

But _________’s coup was the simple text she had received from Jumin later that evening on the first day.

**_Congratulations on the initial reception, _________. I wish you success on planning this party._ **

She had pumped her fist excitedly as she laid in bed, exhausted from the amount of work she had put in over the past few days and sent a quick response back to him, ready to roll over and sleep as long as she could. A sudden ‘ding’ from her phone snapped her eyes wide awake and she groaned, figuring that the group chat was about to go off now that it was nearing midnight as it was prone to do. Zen would be getting off from rehearsal, Seven would still be online while Yoosung would have been logging on just now, Saeran probably was being kept up by the clacking of his brother’s keyboard, Jumin would be drinking wine and reviewing tenant applications, and Jaehee had most likely drank 18 cups of coffee and was in the middle of testing a new recipe for the third time. She loved her friends dearly, but she still was astonished almost three years later at how irregular and well, poor their sleeping habits were.

Picking up her phone and squinting as she stared at the screen in the dark a huge smile spread on her face as she read the name that flashed across the screen, the name she had recently updated. “Jihyun”.  Smile still there, she sat back up and clicked her light on as she unlocked her phone.

**_I heard from Jumin that the reaction to the party has been nothing but positive. I am so happy for you, ________._ **

Fingers hovering over the keyboard, she glanced at the time again and paused, tapping her phone to her mouth before she looked back and stared at the phone symbol under his name. “A quick call to say thanks won’t hurt. He did text me after all,” she muttered as she pressed it, bringing the phone up to her ear as she took a deep breath.

One ring.

_This is ok, right?_

Two rings.

_This was a bad idea._

Three rings.

_I should hang up and apologize, tell him I hit it by mistake._

Just as she was about to hang up, she heard the phone connect and V’s voice calmly ask, “_________?” a slight tinge of confusion to the question.

“Sorry, I just,” she paused for a moment, sighing, “I guess I thought it would be ok to call you, but it’s late I shouldn’t have.”

“No, it’s quite alright. I was just a little surprised.”

“I guess I thought that since you were up I could call, but it wasn’t my best idea.”

“________?”

“Yeah?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m happy that you called.”

She paused again, quietly asking, “Really?” and when he hummed to confirm he was her shoulders sagged in relief. “Ok, good.”

“I was the one who texted you this late, after all. If there’s any blame to go around I share some of it,” he chuckled, and she heard something fall in the background as he did.

“Is everything ok?” She asked as she fiddled with the edge of her blanket.

V was silent for a moment before quickly speaking up, “Oh yes! Just shouldn’t be attempting to organize stuff late at night. If I may ask though, why did you call?”

________ hesitated for a moment, stopping herself before she blurted out, “I wanted to hear your voice” or “I missed you” or anything of that nature. “I wanted to thank you for your text,” she started and after another pause she steeled herself and quickly finished, “And I haven’t talked to you in awhile. Guess I wanted to.”

She didn’t know, but V smiled widely at that, a distinct sense of happiness bubbling in him upon hearing the words. “We haven’t talked in awhile,” he agreed, his voice dropping as he looked down at his desk in front of him before turning around in his chair and looking out his window.

“Yah, it’s been a few days since I saw you at Jaehee’s and I never texted you like I meant, sorry.” She laughed here, shrugging a bit when she said, “Been busier than I thought I’d be.”

“From the sounds of it though it’s been a good kind of busy.”

“Mmmm, you’re right. I haven’t felt challenged like this since, well probably since I opened the shop. I used to plan events, you know, help with setting up at any galleries I was showing at, deciding what the food was, the flow of the room, the guest lists for opening night, stuff like that. This is it on a whole different scale.”

“Coordinating between several different people is a lot harder than just yourself, isn’t it?” He said sympathetically.

She nodded, muttering, “Yah, there’s so much that goes into it. Do we allow people to have their shops and restaurants running? Or do we just have booths? We’re leaning towards letting the people decide themselves, and luckily it seems like everyone’s on board, or if they don’t have enough hands they’re ok having one of the two. I owe a lot to Jumin though, he pretty much is checking over all of my plans and noting where I might need to get permits and is helping with that. Zen’s playing this up on social media so much and I’m thankful but worried people will show up just to see him, and I need him working most of the night. Jaehee’s great at sending out updates to the shops, Yoosung seems enthusiastic about literally any task I give him, even if it’s just printing out flyers. I guess it’s harder to coordinate than anything I used to do, but I can’t lie, it’s a lot more fun this time around with everyone pitching in.”

_________ paused, laughing once, “I rambled there, sorry.”

  
“No, don’t apologize, you weren’t rambling. You can tell you’re putting a lot of thought and detail into this. I know it’s going to be a success.”

“Thank you, Jihyun, that means a lot.”

It fell silent, although it was a comfortable one and ________ used this time to get up and move to her kitchen to get a glass of water. V himself stood up, walking towards this window and looking out into the backyard, out to where the edge of the yard dropped into a cliff that stood a hundred feet over the ocean. Turning back around, he leaned against its frame, bringing his phone to his chest before taking a deep breath and bringing it back up and asking, “Have the twins been helping?”

He heard a faucet snap shut in the background and _________ take a sip of water before responding. “Yah, they’ve been a huge help. Saeran is helping with decor, he’s wonderful with that, and Seven is creating more advertising material around it. I can’t knock the guy, he knows how to market something. He also has been helping with the odd tasks like Yoosung, they’ve become quite attached.” She hopped onto the countertop, leaning up against a cupboard and taking another sip before V asked another question.

“If I may ask, why does he go by Seven? And I recall that man named Vanderwood called him “Luciel”?”

________ swallowed quickly, nearly choking out, “Hm? Oh yah, I guess I flip between calling him Seven or Saeyoung. I can tell you that I truly have no idea where Luciel is from, only Vanderwood calls him that. I also don’t really know the origin of the name “Seven”, that’s just what he called himself when he first introduced himself to us. We actually didn’t know his name for like, 6 months. He finally told me one night, and then he decided to tell everyone else later that week.” There was a pause on the line, and when V went to say something, worried that the call had dropped _________ spoke up quietly, “I think he would hate if I said this, but I think he does it to protect himself. From what, I don’t know. Most customers only know him as Seven and I think he likes it that way. It’s not like you can google “Seven” and find a person.”

Another pause before she finally said, “I know that Saeran used to have a nickname, but when they opened up their shop he was adamant about us calling him by his real name. We always thought it was funny, that one twin was so open about who he was while the other one was trying to hide... especially since then they didn’t look anything alike.”

“They weren’t identical?” V asked, confused.

“Ah no, well, they looked almost exactly alike, but Saeran used to be skinnier. And his hair used to be this weird combination of totally white with some pink, and then there are their eyes. Those are the complete opposite of the other. But they look a lot more similar now.”

V nodded, closing his eyes as he started to walk towards the kitchen, hand against the wall as he guided himself down the dark hallway. “They must be close since they work together.”

“Oh very. I don’t know, must be a twin thing, I don’t know if I would be able to run a shop with my siblings.”

V let out a sigh of relief, internally ecstatic at the chance to change the subject. “You mentioned you had some before. How many?”

He could tell that ________ perked up at that, launching into a small speech about her family and what they were like while he took a moment to compose himself. Hearing her speak about the Choi twins so candidly was a bit disarming. While he had known she would have spoken from the heart, he couldn’t help but feel like he had been prying into their lives. Well, he obviously had been, but the way she just spoke so freely... did it make him feel more guilty? Or less? He couldn’t pin down exactly what he was feeling, and a question from her pulled him out of his spiral and caught him completely off guard.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yah, do you have any siblings?”

V paused here, moving quietly down his hallway as he gathered his thoughts. He had completely ignored everything she had just said, and he felt awful for that, but to be pulled from his thoughts on the Chois to this threw him off.

“Jihyun?”

She spoke so softly, with so much concern that it broke him, and he rapidly shook his head before quickly going, “Ah, no. I have a half sister, she’s much younger than I and I don’t really know her too well.”

“Oh, I can imagine that must be difficult to build a relationship if there’s a significant difference in age.”

“Yes, she’s quite young. I know Jumin talks a lot about his father’s numerous relationships, but he’s still the one who’s an only child after all of these years.” He laughed, but felt awkward upon noticing how quiet MC was on the other end of the phone. “I’m not upset, not at all, children from second marriage’s are common,” he said, a little flustered as he tried to explain, feeling more awkward by the moment.

“Ah, your parents are divorced?”  
The question was simple, and Jihyun should have expected it after his explanation of his family’s structure, but it still left him standing there silently as he walked back to his desk and started to organize the various items he had lined up. He stayed quiet for what he knew was far too long, but he couldn’t help but think of her; of his mother, loving and kind and supportive despite everything he had done. The memories were few, but they were vivid, and as he thought of the woman he barely knew _________’s voice broke through yet again.

“I’m sorry, for asking, if you don’t want to talk about it. I shouldn’t have asked,” she started but he quickly stopped her.

“No. I’m sorry to keep doing this to you. My mother passed away when I was in high school,” he faltered here, his voice cracking and _________ immediately jumped in.

“Oh Jihyun, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, the pain apparent in her voice and he could only imagine what she looked like in that moment. He never told anyone about his mother, her memory usually pushed down and out of sight so he’d never have to acknowledge the life he had led as a child, the way he had pushed everyone away.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he started but she quickly cut him off.

“I know, and I know I can’t begin to fathom what a loss that is, but I’m still sorry that it happened.”

“We weren’t that close,” he started, trailing off as he stopped arranging his desk and walked out of his room and down the hall. He didn’t know why he was opening up, but he felt compelled to, and hearing _________’s soft breath on the other end only spurred him forward. “If anything, I pushed her away for the majority of my life. I was raised by my father. Him and my mother were married, but it was just on paper- there was no love between them. Maybe there had been, I’ll never know, but from my birth I was a “Kim” and had to be raised to eventually take on the family name, to continue our legacy.”

“You see, my father works in the entertainment industry. He runs one of the largest talent agencies in the country, you can almost say he’s to entertainment as to what Jumin’s father is to real estate. He’s pragmatic, logical, and everything that an artist isn’t. But my mother, she was a violinist, a brilliant one in fact, and their marriage was so good for business. If she trusted him why wouldn’t anyone else? But getting pregnant with me was possibly the worst thing that could have happened to them.”

“Jihyun,” ________ whispered but he ignored her, pushing on.

“When she was pregnant with me she was in an accident, and as a result of it lost her ability to hear. In an instant her life was changed. She lost her career, eventually lost her ability to speak properly, and she didn’t know how to deal with these changes. My father took me once I was born, and I never saw her through for the majority of my youth.” He paused, and ________ remained silent and he carried on, shocked at how easily it came to tell her everything.

“I think you would have been shocked if you had met me when we were young, and to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have been very kind to you,” he laughed, and he envisioned the way she might have tilted her head in response when she whispered, “What?” He chuckled softly again and continued, “I hated artists. I thought they were sentimental, ditzy daydreamers without a grip on the real world. My mother had “lost her mind” once she wasn’t able to create, so of course I thought that all artists on any kind were the same. I was a massive hypocrite though.”

“Because deep down you knew you were one too?” ________ said quietly, and V couldn’t help but nod vigorously.

“Yes, yes, I tried to stifle it but I just loved to create. I found so much peace within it. Those moments were the only ones where I felt like I was truly being myself. Jumin even caught on, and encouraged me to reach out to my mother to get a different perspective on life. So I did. It wasn’t always easy, and I definitely wasn’t always kind to her. Most times I was rude, arrogant, and tried to deny what I already knew, but she loved me despite it. Regardless of whatever I said she was still there, still trying to show affection to me in whatever way she could. But in the end she died and she never knew how I truly felt.”

It fell silent as he started to remember the last few times he interacted with her, and before he get deep enough into them that he would become ill __________’s voice broke through. She had hopped off of the counter awhile back, now standing out on her balcony leaning against the railing as she looked up to the sky. “I think,” she said cautiously, continuing only when he didn’t interrupt her, “I think that you don’t think you deserved her love because of how you treated her. But I want to tell you that you did deserve it and despite how you might have reacted she didn’t care. She still cared for you more than you could know.”

It was silent again, and she didn’t know it but silent tears ran down Jihyun’s cheeks as he thought of the very last moments he had with her. Years later and he still couldn’t face them: the heat, the screams, her insistent pulling, they ran in a loop and he still couldn’t think of them clearly. “Thank you, __________,” he finally said, and he was startled when he heard a choked back sob on the other end.

“I didn’t do anything Jihyun,” she whispered, her breath shuddering as she said his name and he wanted to run to her, to hold her and stop her from crying. He didn’t deserve tears, sympathy, none of it. But he stood still as he stood in his kitchen and he wanted to reach out to her. Standing on her balcony still, she had gripped onto the railing and let the tears fall freely, unable to hold back despite how she had tried. She didn’t want to burden him with her own tears, but she couldn’t help how she felt and that was heartbroken. He was obviously hurting, and knowing this only made her heart break upon remembering that Rika had also left his life. He was so kind, so kind and giving and yet he obviously hated himself and was alone and she felt heartbroken upon this realization.

“I’ve never told anyone any of this,” he admitted, wiping away the tears on his cheeks.

“Really?” She whispered, her tears stopping at that admittance. She briefly thought of Rika again, and wondered if he truly had never told her, but that thought was ripped from her mind when he spoke again.

“Really. No one has ever heard this, I never felt comfortable enough to tell them. But,” he paused, taking a deep breath, “But it felt right to tell you. Thank you for listening.”

She was silent this time, furiously nodding as she tried to steady her breath. “Of course, of course. I’m so honored you would tell me this, Jihyun. If you,” she had to stop again, trying so hard to not let her voice crack before continuing, “If you ever need to talk to someone, please reach out to me. I’m here for you.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“Damn. I wish I was with you right now Jihyun, I don’t like knowing that you’re alone right now,” she admitted, her voice dropping and becoming quieter than usual. “This feels shallow to ask, but are you alright?”

“I have a lot to think of,” he admitted, and laughed a little self deprecatingly. “But hearing that you wish you were with me, well, that makes me feel happy as selfish as that is.”

“That’s not selfish,” she started.

“Yes, it is,” he said cutting her off but she interrupted him.

“I don’t want to hear this.”

Her voice was stern, and there was an edge to it that he had never heard before that made him stand straighter. It wasn’t scolding, there wasn’t a condescending tone to it at all, but she sounded almost angry at his insistence. Falling silent, he waited for her to speak, her breathing a little heavy as she herself paused to gather her thoughts.

“Jihyun, I’m not inconvenienced by you, and more importantly listening to you isn’t a burden. I want to be there for you, do you understand that?”

He knew she spoke the truth and he stayed silent, before sighing, “Are you sure?”

“100 percent sure. You’re my friend, you were there for me when I wasn’t feeling well, I want to be able to do the same for you.”

He laughed lightly, “You have been there for me more than I have been there for you.”

“One day you’ll return the favor,” she responded matter of factly, no doubt in her voice. Taking another deep breath, she asked, “Would you like to meet tomorrow? The shop is closed and I was planning on working on some things for the party.”

It was silent on the other end and her shoulders dropped as the seconds ticked by. He was standing in the same position, mind racing at the possible outcomes but despite his hesitation he answered slowly, “That would be nice.”

She broke into a wide grin and wiped at her eyes as the tears threatened to start again. “Great. It’s late, so I’ll probably get a later start so do you want to meet at Sei’s first for lunch first?”

“That sounds perfect,” he sighed out, allowing himself to be honest and he smiled slightly at the satisfied sound that came from _________’s end.

“Perfect. I’ll see you then.” It was silent again, both hesitating to end the call but she finally spoke. “Thank you for confiding in me, Jihyun.”

“No, thank you. Thank you so much for listening, __________.”

“Will you be ok if we hang up?” She asked and he nodded.

“Yes. I won’t lie, I’m going to stay up a bit, but I’ll get to bed soon. You need to rest too, I hope you are able to get a good night’s rest.”

“Of course. See you at noon?”

“Yes, yes __________. I’ll see you at noon.”

Silence fell between them again, but both softly whispered, “Good night,” to each other before handing up nearly simultaneously.

Jihyun stood there in silence, walking over to his couch before sitting down on it and rubbing at his eyes. His concern over his increasing lack of ability to focus was ruined the moment he let out a choked sob and covered his mouth tightly, shutting his eyes and willing himself not to cry. He wasn’t able to this time, he wasn’t able to push down his feelings and the tears started to roll freely, his shoulders shaking as he muffled his cries.

As she ended the call __________ turned and walked back into her apartment, staring around the empty room before wrapping her arms around herself tightly and starting to openly cry. She had never been a beautiful crier, and as she sobs wracked her body she slowly made her way to her bedroom. Tossing her phone to the side she crawled under the covers and rolled onto her side, the tears still falling as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

He didn’t appear to trust many, that was certain, but in their short time knowing each other he had deemed her worthy of knowing the deepest side of him, and she wrestled with how that made her feel. She could pinpoint the distinct sadness she felt though at his insistence that he didn’t deserve anyone to care, that no one could even be empathetic to his needs. While she was unable to understand exactly the losses that he had suffered over his life she knew that she wanted to make sure he never felt like he deserved it. She knew he was protective, wanting to ensure that no one suffered because of him, and before she finally drifted off, exhausted from the conversation one final thought drifted across her mind as she closed her eyes.

“I’m going to be there for him no matter what. And I think I know why, I think I know what this feeling is,” she whispered before she fell asleep, her body overtaken by the need to sleep.


End file.
